


Remembering The Promise

by Conflictedpsyches



Category: Persona 5
Genre: F/F, Trans Female Character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-17
Updated: 2020-11-17
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:21:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 22,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24232750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Conflictedpsyches/pseuds/Conflictedpsyches
Summary: WARNING: Heavy Persona 5 Royal Spoilers!!! Do not read unless you have beaten the new true ending, or are ok with spoiling yourself!!!Goro Akechi wakes up after his and the Thieves' final interaction with Maruki. In April. With a note on his doorstep from Joker.This bodes poorly.
Relationships: Amamiya Ren/Yoshizawa Sumire | Yoshizawa Kasumi
Comments: 6
Kudos: 65





	1. The Joker and The Ace

**Author's Note:**

> I beat Persona 5 Royal a couple weeks ago, and felt... unsatisfied with the ending. So, I figured I'd give Akechi and Ren some actual closure! By dragging them through hell all over again~ Ain't I a stinker~? Also, my brand at this point is gonna end up being Trans girl Joker, because fuck Atlus not giving us queer and female protags~

_ "I hope you remembered our promise. If you did, you know where to find me. - Joker" _

Goro Akechi is not having a great day.  _ Let's run through the day's events. Last thing I remember was stopping that madman with aims on divinity. I resign myself to oblivion. I have to trust my own destiny to the hands of those… imbeciles. And their infuriating leader. And then I wake up. I begin to expect I'm in some form of afterlife, but fuck if I didn't realize what kind of hell I deserved. I'm back. And what's more… It's April. The start of my living hell. All over again. AND THEN THIS?  _ "How did you even find my address, Joker? … Every time I underestimate you, you surprise me. It pisses me off."

He sighs and composes himself. "Getting furious and storming off is not going to help. If I am back in April, I have an image to maintain. I should be careful going forward, I have no idea how capable Joker is at this point. After all, the Phantom Thieves weren't on my radar until after April in the first place. This could be a trap, for all I know. Granted, knowing what I know, I'm still Shido's goddamn lapdog at this point, so at the very least, I should be safe from the authorities, and I'm sure they know that. Let's call this… an investigation. I should at least attempt to brush off my skills anyway."

After a long bike ride to Leblanc, he steps through the door. The cafe's proprietor, Sojiro Sakura, greets Akechi, and he responds with feigned cheer. "Afternoon, sir." He sits at the counter and smiles at Sojiro. "I'll just have whatever you recommend, sir."

Sojiro nods and fixes Akechi's drink, as a familiar face walks down the stairs. A familiar face, sure, but in different attire than Akechi's used to seeing. "Well, this is interesting." Akechi sips his coffee, as the figure sits down next to him.

"I'll ask you not to make a scene, Akechi, I will explain… later." The young lady clears her throat, and Akechi smiles with barely restrained rage bleeding through. 

"Why would I raise a scene? Have you ever known me to do so?" Akechi grins, daring his interlocutor to make a move.

Sojiro steps in to bail them out. "Oh? You already know someone here? Well, nice to see you're making friends. Just don't… do anything stupid, ok?"

The young lady nods at Sojiro, as Akechi finishes his coffee. "I'll be taking your young charge here for a stroll, sir, if that's ok. Here's the money for my coffee." He leaves the money on the counter, and the pair walk out. "So, is it Ren or Akira today?"

She blushes, and looks away. "...Sojiro knows me as Akira Kurusu still, yes. It would make things… less complicated to refer to me as such around him. But…"

Akechi nods. "Understood. As much as it pains me to do you any favors, Amamiya, I am not so craven as to potentially risk you being thrown out. I… do still owe you, after all."

Ren nods, sighing. "So, you got my note."

Akechi rests against a wall. "I did. From a few minor interactions I've had, it appears that we may be the only people to remember anything. Have you met with the other Phantoms yet?"

Ren sighs and shakes her head. "No… I haven't met them yet in the timeline, after all. Today was the day I moved into Leblanc."

Akechi blinks.  _ Fascinating… So she's alone, vulnerable, and potentially no one remembers her at all. But more interesting…  _ "...Why today of all days to be brought back, then? Surely if there's a Metaverse reason, wouldn't it make sense that we'd be brought back to the day you first entered the Metaverse? Or even the day I first did so?"

Ren looks up, contemplating. "Honestly, I have no idea. I have no idea if there even is a Metaverse related reason. Why would there be? Just because it's the weirdest thing we know, doesn't necessarily have to be related. Either way, you and I both know that's not why I called you here."

"You want to fulfill the promise." Ren nods, and Akechi continues. "Well… First, I must say, although I'm sure you realize it pains me to say this… Thank you for following through with the plan."

Ren sighs. "I'm not even sure if I did. After breaking out of Maruki's dream… I woke up on day 1 in Tokyo. I'm just worried we're somehow… still in his distorted reality."

Akechi frowns. "I was worried about that myself. That's the last thing I remember too, after all. But at this point in the timeline, Maruki didn't have a Persona or a Metaverse presence, right?"

Ren shakes her head. "Not to the best of my knowledge. He shouldn't have had any idea of Mementos, either. And the Phantom Thieves don't exist yet, so the most he'd know about is… well, your intervention."

Akechi glowers at Ren, before composing himself and smiling. "I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about, dear Ren. I'm just your average high-schooler."

Ren rolls her eyes. "Don't give me that BS, Pancake Boy."

Akechi clenches his fists. "I will overlook that, once. I shan't make such a costly mistake again this time."

Ren sighs. "That's what I wanted to talk about. This time."

Akechi rolls his eyes and leans back. "You want me to join your little band of merry men and women, don't you?"

Ren nods. "...This time you can get your revenge personally. You could have friends-"

"Friends?" Akechi scoffs and shakes his head. "You don't get it, Ren, you never did. This never was about a group of plucky kids saving a wayward soul from destruction. This was a tale of someone hoist by his own hubris, and the consequences therein. Grow up, Ren."

She sighs. "But it is, Akechi. Without my friends, I easily could have been just like you. And… without them now, I'm worried I will still. But… At the very least, we could start with being rivals again, instead of enemies."

Akechi grimaces at the thought of considering Ren an equal, but pushes it down. Pride will be his downfall if he lets it, again. "...Rivals, then." He offers a handshake with his right hand.

Ren shakes her head. "No, if we're doing this, we're doing this the way we started." She offers her left hand.

Akechi blinks, unsure of how to respond. He takes her left hand and shakes. A small voice whispers in the back of his mind.  _ Today, you take the first step in your rehabilitation. Through this, you shall gain the ultimate secrets of rebellion…  _ He furrows his brow and shakes his head.  _ Maybe I am finally going insane. _

Ren headtilts and looks at him. "You ok, Akechi?"

Akechi shakes his head. "I don't need your pity, Ren- Ahem. I'm fine." He smiles at her, masking his disdain.

Ren scoffs. "You know, you don't have to be an asshole. I know we're not exactly… friends, as you keep saying, but not everyone's out to get you, I swear. Sometimes, someone just wants to help."

Akechi sighs. "...Sometimes I wish I could believe that, Ren." He sits down on a railing. "...So, what's the plan?"

Ren blinks. "What do you mean?"

Akechi groans. "What's the plan, Ren? If I'm going to be working with you, we should be as transparent as possible. No more of this you calling the shots, and the rest of us meekly doing what you say. That's my condition. We're in this together, or we're not."

Ren nods. "I had no intention of leaving you in the dark, Akechi."

He clears his throat and smiles. "Then we shall have no problems going forward. I reiterate then. What's our plan to get to the bottom of this?"

Ren grimaces. "...Still working on one."

Akechi blinks. "...Wait, seriously? You asked me here and don't even have a plan?"

Ren looks incredulously at him. "What do you expect me to say, Akechi? What's the plan for strange time bullshit? Are you serious?"

Akechi sighs. "...You know what, yes, I apologize for thinking this would be anything more than a waste of my time."

Ren grabs his shoulder as he goes to walk away. "I'm not done with you, Akechi. I'm tired of this passive aggressive bullshit. I demand a bit more respect from someone who attempted to kill me on at least 3 separate attempts and failed. But I don't exactly see you coming up with any ideas, oh great Master Detective. I'm going to need you to pull your own weight, if you want to be included in the plans."

Akechi stops, a bit stunned. This is not the Ren he remembers. "...You're more talkative this time around, Ren."

Ren blinks. "I'm sure I don't know what you mean."

Akechi shakes his head. "...No matter. I suppose you're right, I didn't exactly have a plan coming here either. I suppose our first step, though, is figuring out the timeline divergence. Us knowing our previous steps after all, will inevitably have knockon effects, it's best to figure out what we can, as soon as possible. You should work on talking to your friends, see if anyone else remembers anything. I'll look into Maruki."

Ren nods. "That sounds like a solid start. I'll be counting on you, Akechi."

Akechi grits his teeth. "Unfortunately, I will be too. Shall we meet here in a week?"

Ren nods again. "That sounds like a plan. Shall we exchange numbers again, just in case?"

Akechi shakes his head. "No need, I have yours memorized."

Ren grins, leaning in. "Oh, really? I feel flattered~"

Akechi turns away, frowning. "That's not what I mean. I don't exactly have a lot of contacts, so I memorize all of them. Just in case."

Ren slides her hands in her pockets and smirks. "Whatever you say, Akechi. Send me a text later, so I have yours, then."

Akechi resents the unspoken words left there.  _ Of course she never memorized mine. Mine wasn't important enough, and she had far more contacts to learn.  _ But he smiles and nods. "But of course, leader."

Ren walks off, back to Leblanc, as Akechi gets back on his bike.  _ That woman infuriates me. And I'm still left with an informational disadvantage. I hate this. I hate everything about this. I hate her. And yet, if I want to know why I'm here… I need her. _

_ Fuck. _

Getting back to his empty apartment, he's startled to receive a call from Shido. "I trust this is not a bad time."

Akechi grits his teeth as he responds. "No, of course not."

"There's a job to do."

Akechi nods. "Of course. Today's target?"

Shido can barely restrain his sadistic glee over the phone. He reveals the name of a certain train conductor. "With a little push, we can get the Minister of Transportation to resign. You understand what's necessary, yes?"

Akechi steels himself, as he suddenly begins to feel regret, an emotion up til now foreign to him. "Yes. Whatever we need to do to make sure you're running this country, sir."

As he hangs up, he texts Ren. " _...We have a problem. ...And I need your help to navigate this, as much as I hate to admit." _

Ren reads the text messages and grimaces. It's not that she suddenly believed that Akechi would just… stop doing Metaverse crimes, or forgot that he was the true culprit. But… she was kind of hoping… " _ Our goal is to not invoke suspicion from your higher ups, while minimizing impact on innocents, can we agree on this?" _

Akechi grits his teeth as he reads the text. " _ I suppose that's an adept assessment, yes. Any ideas?" _

_ "You just have to affect the conductor, yes? Is there a way to cause a disturbance that would satisfy your… boss without causing an accident?" _

Akechi ponders this. It's difficult to really determine what a victim of a psychotic breakdown will really do once in their fugue state, but he figures it shouldn't be too difficult to plant a particular seed.  _ "I'll see what I can do. Either way… I would avoid this line, tomorrow." _

Ren sighs and nods.  _ "I suppose that's the best I could hope for. Best of luck, Akechi. I'll take the appropriate precautions." _

  
Akechi grimaces as he puts down the phone, hesitating to go into the Metaverse.  _...Why is it different now? Is it because I finally realize how Shido sees me? ...Or is it because of her? Goddamn that woman, she pisses me off so much. ...But I do need her. It's in my best interest to keep things reigned in for now.  _ He stretches out as he preps what he needs for a trip to Mementos. 


	2. First Day Redux

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ren uses her perfect knowledge of her first day to... try to make things slightly more convenient... Bold strategy, let's see how it pays off.

Ren looks over at Sojiro as he lectures her about staying on the up and up, complaining as he drives her to Shujin. She could have said she knows where to go, but he needs to show up as her guardian, so either way, she would have to put up with this.  _ Sojiro, I love you to pieces, but God are you an ass, sometimes.  _

The following meeting at Shujin goes as condescendingly as she remembers, so she merely smiles and nods at the adults. For a brief moment, she debates a few different tactics this time around. She didn't come out the first time until after Kaneshiro, right as the Thieves were really getting big, during Summer Vacation. Coming back to school was… interesting after that. Luckily, Kawakami-sensei was willing to help her, but she barely knew Ren at this point.  _ It might be worthwhile to try to get on her good side earlier, this time around.  _

Either way, she and Sojiro drive home, and he shakes his head. "You know, I don't usually let men sit in my front seat."

"Well, it's a good thing I'm not a man, Sakura-san."  **Max Guts!!!** Ren holds her breath, as she awaits Sojiro's response. 

Sojiro rolls his eyes. "You might as well be, you're 16. You'll be an adult in no time at all, and it's time to start taking responsibility for your actions."

Ren sighs. She didn't expect Sojiro to get it this early, even this time around. "...Sure, that's what I meant. I apologize for the inconvenience."

Sojiro shakes his head again. "And what's with this traffic? Argh, at this rate, you'd be better off taking the subway home."

Ren's eyes widen, as she knows this is around the time the train accident happened last time. She attempts to change the subject. "Um, Sakura-san, pardon my interruption, but I merely wanted to say, I greatly appreciate you taking me in… I know I'm putting you out."

Sojiro blinks and looks over. "Well, I'm not doing it for you. Like I said, this is all for your parents." He looks conflicted as he sighs. "You seem like a nice kid. You really do. But I have enough on my plate to deal with than looking after you. You're gonna be mostly on your own."

Ren nods. "Of course, Sakura-san. Even so, I do hope to make it up to you, eventually."

Sojiro shakes his head. "You're a strange kid, you know that?"

Ren sighs. "I've been told." 

Sojiro turns on the car radio. "And in breaking news, a subway nearly derailed earlier today, as the train's conductor went into a bizarre fugue state, causing the train to accelerate rapidly. Due to the heroism of one Goro Akechi, the so-called Second Coming of the Detective Prince; however, the civilians in the train were unharmed, as through his quick thinking the passengers were able to regain control of the train from him. Investigations will be done on the conductor and the rail system. Akechi had this to say after the incident:

"It truly is baffling what could have caused this… I wonder if the working conditions of the conductors in the Tokyo system are up to snuff, perhaps this poor conductor was simply overworked and had a mental breakdown. It will be up to the police to investigate of course, I am merely speculating. I am glad that I happened to be in the right place at the right time, a moment later, and many, many people could have gotten hurt."

"Expect delays on the subway for the next few days, as the investigation begins, and inspections are done on the trains and their staff."

Sojiro blinks as he clicks off the radio. "...I suppose it's a good thing I didn't try to send you on the train. That could have been dangerous. I'd be a lousy caregiver if I got you killed on my second day with you under my care."

Ren sighs a sigh of relief.  _ Akechi managed to pull it off. Even if it did end up with him becoming more of a showboating ass. ...I'll take the win. _ "I'm just glad no one got hurt, like they said. A trainwreck is no joke."

Sojiro nods. "I suppose, yeah. At least they shouldn't have to fix anything. So I don't want to hear any excuses for you getting to school on time, tomorrow."

Ren nods. "I have no intentions of being late."

"Good."

Ren and Sojiro head back into Leblanc. "All right, we're back. Now, I'm going to lock up so I can head home. You should go to bed, I won't be in charge of waking you up."

Ren nods. "Don't forget to flip the sign."

Sojiro raises an eyebrow. "How old do you think I am, anyway, kid?"

Ren sweatdrops. "Sorry."

Ren and Sojiro part for the night, and she retires, sleeping soundly for once.

The following morning, her phone buzzes as she eats.  _ It's probably Akechi. _

" _ Happy? _ "

Sojiro looks down at Ren as she eats, and shakes his head. "You've not got time to check your phone right now. Finish eating so you can get to class and I can open up."

Ren nods and finishes, before getting her stuff and preparing to leave. "...Thank you for breakfast, Sakura-san. I will see you this evening."

Sojiro sighs and shakes his head. "Just get out of here, kid."

Ren nods and walks out. The subway ride goes uneventfully, but she swears under her breath as she remembers she forgot her umbrella. Again. She quickly ducks under an alcove as it starts pouring and she gathers her bearings again. A young blonde woman meets her under the alcove, and she smiles at her. "...Um, are you a Shujin student, Miss?"

She blinks and looks at Ren. "Um, yeah, aren't you?"

Ren nods. "Yeah, I'm a transfer student. I'm still a little new to the area, do you think I could walk with you to class?" Ren knows her way to class very well, of course, but she remembers…

Suddenly a car pulls up and rolls down its window, revealing the smug, grinning face of the Shujin PE teacher and Volleyball coach, Mr. Suguru Kamoshida. "Need a ride?"

The young lady smiles sadly and nods. She looks over at Ren. "...Sorry, hopefully you'll be able to find someone else…"

Kamoshida looks at Ren and smiles, a warning behind his eyes. "You need a ride too?"

Ren thinks quickly, hoping to help Ann out. "...Actually, yes, you're very kind, sir."  **Max Guts!!!** She slides into the backseat of Kamoshida's car, trying to suppress her gag reflex. "I do appreciate it, sir. I'm new to the area, and I would hate to get lost on my first day in class. You must be a very good teacher to be willing to help students out like this."  **Max Charm!!!**

Kamoshida blinks and stammers, unsure how to take this upstart piece of trash who clearly does not know how to take a hint helping himself to his car, while he's clearly trying to make the moves on this fine woman here. He nods, unwilling to say anything compromising in front of Ann. 

Ann smiles at Ren in the backseat. "I suppose we'll be going to class together after all. Whose homeroom are you in?"

Ren makes a show of looking at her notes. "Says here, Kawakami-sensei. Say, I never caught your name."

Ann blinks. "Oh! We're in the same class then!" She stops and blinks. "Oh, my name! Sorry, I'm Ann Takamaki, nice to meet you! And you?"

Ren smiles at her. "Akira Kurusu, charmed I'm sure. I look forward to a nice year in class."

Ann nods. "You seem nice enough, what brings you to Shujin?"

Kamoshida clears his throat as they pull into the school grounds. "We're here."

Ann and Ren both nod and get out as he parks. Ren bows. "I do appreciate your help, Kamoshida-Sensei. I look forward to… a productive year." She smirks at the gym teacher and walks off with Ann, leaving him to fester.

Ren blinks. "Oh, sorry, that reminds me, I believe I was supposed to stop by the Faculty office to meet with Kawakami-sensei, do you mind pointing me?"

Ann nods. "Oh, right! Hang on…" She walks Ren over, and knocks on the door. Kawakami opens up, to find Ann and Ren. "Kurusu-kun here said he needed to find you before class, Sensei?"

Kawakami blinks, almost not expecting Ren to show up so early. "R-right, yes. Let's just finish up some last minute paperwork, Kurusu…" Ann waves and heads back to homeroom as Kawakami and Ren step into the office…

School goes smoothly, as Ren and Ann leave together. But shortly after, things go awry as usual. Whispers begin around them. 

"Isn't that the new transfer student?"

"I heard he was arrested for assault."

"What's he doing with Takamaki-san?"

"He better watch out, that's Kamoshida's bitch."

"You don't think he's got… plans with her?"

"Oh god, someone should let her know."

Ren sighs. "...I didn't expect word would get around so quickly." She did.

Ann blinks. "What's everyone talking about?"

Ren shakes her head. "Do you think we could talk somewhere privately? I don't like all the… gossip."

Ann nods. "I suppose…"

They head up to the rooftop. "Hey, no one's supposed to go up there…"

Ren shrugs. "If they wanted it off limits, they should lock it. Do you know anywhere else on campus where we won't be overheard?"

Ann shakes her head. "Well… no…"

Ren smiles sadly at Ann. "It's fine if you don't trust me, we did just meet." 

Ann stammers. "N-no, it's fine!"

They open the door. A figure that clearly was not expecting company yelps as he looks at Ren and Ann. "Takamaki? What the hell are you doing up here?"

"Oh, pipe down, Sakamoto, do you want to get us caught?"

Ren blinks and tries to calm down the pair. "H-hey, we can just find another place to talk…"

Ryuji Sakamoto looks over at Ren. "Oh, hey, aren't you that transfer student everyone's talking about? Did you come here to do something with Takamaki?"

Ren sighs as Ann looks at Ren wide-eyed. "What's he talking about?"

Ren pulls up a chair and sits down. "Well, might as well come clean to both of you while I'm here…"

Ryuji and Ann look scandalized as she goes through her story. "That's effed up, man! I can't believe they did you dirty like that! Isn't the school supposed to keep that shit bottled up?"

Ann nods slowly. "...Yeah, and it seems like no one is trying to stand up for you either…"

"Oh, yeah, I never introduced myself. My name's Ryuji Sakamoto."

Ren offers a handshake. "Ren Amamiya."

Ann blinks. "I thought your name was Akira?"

Ren sighs. "So um, can I trust you two?" She knows she can, she's been literally through hell with these two, she just prays that her bonds carry through this weird… time thing.

Ann and Ryuji furrow their brows. "Yeah, I guess?"

Ren sighs. "Well, um, I'm trans. Akira's my uh, old name. Well, my legal name, I guess."

Both of them look lost. Ryuji stands first and grins. "Look, whatever you want me to call you, that's what I'll call you, pal. You seem pretty standup."

Ren gives a sigh of relief. "Thanks Sakamoto-san."

Ryuji shakes his head and grins. "Nah, call me Ryuji, Ren. No need for all that formal shit."

Ann blinks. "K-Ren, um, so uh, about that trans thing, what uh, does that mean, per se?"

Ren tries to explain as best she can. Ryuji and Ann pretend to understand. "So, um, Ren-chan, then...?"

Ren beams as Ann seems to get it. Again. "We can work with that!"

Ryuji grimaces. "I wouldn't let that get around. Kamoshida tends to eff with people he thinks are weird or out of place." He looks at Ann. "...No offense."

Ann rolls her eyes. "Why would I take offense? Kamoshida's gross."

Ryuji blinks. "So wait, you're not dating Kamoshida?"

Ann looks furious at Ryuji. "No, I'm not dating our gym teacher! Gross!"

Ren sighs. "Listen, I have no intention of putting myself in harm's way. I've heard plenty of rumors about Kamoshida-sensei, too. I'm about 90% sure he's the one who leaked my record. I hear he's a massive pervert, thinks he's the king of Castle Shujin."

_ Location found. Beginning navigation.  _ Ren blinks as the school warps, the students showing up on the roof of Kamoshida's castle.  _...I guess I should have expected this… We need to get to Morgana at the bottom of the castle.  _

Ryuji's eyes widen. "Whoa, what the eff? What the hell is going on?"

Ann looks over the railings. "W-where are we?"

Ren contemplates her options.  _ I could tell them everything, and risk them not believing me and getting hurt… Or I can try to feign ignorance and just try to get us out of here. The problem is we need to get back to the roof to get out of here… This… may have been a mistake.  _

Ren hits the button on her phone, causing the castle to go back to normal. "Um, so, I can explain. But you guys are gonna need to trust me."

Ryuji clutches his head. "...Argh, that sucked. What the hell was that?"

Ann pinches the bridge of her nose and rubs her temple. "Yeah, I'm definitely gonna need an explanation."

Ren gulps. "Do you want the long story or the short story? Short story, that's how Kamoshida sees Shujin."

Ann blinks. "And the long story?"

Ren nods. "So… Effectively, this thing lets me access something called The Metaverse. It's basically a place on the other side of reality, where people's thoughts influence the environment. It's… a little complicated, and I can't really explain it super well, but effectively, what we just saw was Kamoshida's Palace. Palaces are places of… I guess you'd call it extreme distortion in someone's cognition. Or uh, in simpler terms, they're what happens when someone obsesses too hard about something and it makes them a little… unhinged. Like I said, Kamoshida sees this school as his own Castle, and himself as the king of it."

Both of them look utterly lost. 

Ren sweatdrops. "I swear this all makes sense eventually."

Ann blinks. "How do you know all this stuff?"

Ren thinks for a moment. "A lot of investigating. A few friends of mine and I have been through a bunch of Palaces. It's uh… pretty dangerous to go alone though. But I figure both of you want to get some revenge on Kamoshida."

Ann nods. "Yeah, I do. I can't confirm it, but I know he's doing something to my best friend, on top of being gross with me."

Ryuji pumps his fist in the air. "Hell yeah! The bastard's had it coming for a long time!"

Ren grins. "Glad to hear it. Meet me at the school gate then. I have a call to make."

The trio nod and split up as Ren calls Akechi…

"...I need a favor…"


	3. A Thief, a Cat Burgler, a Thug, a Grifter, and an Inside Man Meet in a Castle...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akechi: "I'm not playing babysitter."
> 
> Narrator: "And so Akechi babysat the new Phantom Thieves as they awaken."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, if anyone else has read my other fic Homework, I want to assuage everyone's worries, I am still working on that one, but I wanna catch this one up in chapter count, so I can alternate better. Besides, I have soooooo many ideas for this one right now~ Comments as always are appreciated!

Akechi awakens in a small blue cell, dressed in his Black Mask outfit. "...This is new…"

A deep voice echoes in the distance. "Approach, Trickster…"

Akechi steps forward, curious, if nothing else. "Yes?"

A pair of young girls step from either side of the cell door and greet Akechi. The first, a loud, angry girl, slams on the bars of the cell with her baton. "Finally awake, Inmate? Our Master wishes to speak with you!"

The second, a more quiet, reserved girl nods. "Yes… He has important information regarding your… rehabilitation."

Akechi rolls his eyes at the thought of being rehabilitated, but keeps his mouth shut for the time being. He looks over at the man sitting in the chair in front of him, a lanky man with a very long nose. The man speaks again in the same deep timbre. "You are a pawn in a game, Trickster. A game that is stacked against you. The only way to win… is to be rehabilitated."

Akechi shakes his head. "And who are you? Is this one of those things where I have to make friends and do good deeds? Don't make me laugh."

The angry girl slams again on the bars, this time sparking her baton, shocking Akechi. He staggers slightly before composing himself. "Ungrateful Inmate! Shut up when our Master is speaking to you!"

The quieter one shakes her head. "How uncouth. What does our Master see in you?"

The long nosed man grins. "You can call me Igor, young Trickster. I will be overseeing your rehabilitation."

Akechi grits his teeth. "Well, I suppose there's nothing to be done, then. What do you mean?"

Igor smirks at Akechi and steeples his fingers on the desk. "You are… correct in some regards. It is important for your rehabilitation that you make bonds. What is not necessarily required is that they all be… friendly. If you so desire, making a few rivals may be useful in and of itself. After all, you already have one…"

Akechi grits his teeth again. "Ren."

Igor nods. "In another life, she would be here. Instead you are. Both of you share the same gift, the Power of the Wild Card. Both of you can gain strength from the power of your bonds, and use this power to forge stronger masks."

Akechi sits on the bed and crosses his legs. "...I'm listening."

Igor grins. "We do not have much more time to teach you all you need to know… but know the next time you arrive in this world, you will begin your rehabilitation."

Akechi nods. "As you wish. What is this place, then?"

"This is the Velvet Room, a place between sleep and consciousness. A rest area for those undergoing a journey of the soul. Here, I help my contractors gain power."

Akechi grins. "I think I can get behind more power. Where do I sign?"

Akechi wakes in a cold sweat, panting.  _ What a bizarre dream… Hmm, I think I remember Ren saying something about this Velvet Room at some point. Bitch never was good at elaborating, though. I may have to ask her at a later point. As much as it pains me to ask for advice from… her.  _ His day at school goes uneventfully, up until…

"... _ I need a favor..." _

Akechi grimaces as he reads Ren's text. " _ What is it?" _

" _ It's showtime. I have Panther and Skull with me." _

_ "And what, pray tell, made you believe I was going to babysit two Persona-less people through a Palace with you?" _

_ "You wouldn't be!" _

_ "Oh?" _

_ "...You'd be babysitting three." _

Akechi resists the urge to crush his phone. " _ Are you telling me you don't have a Persona either?" _

_ "I'm saying I'm not sure I do." _

_ "...You know I despise you, yes?" _

_ "Yes, yes, you can kill me later." _

Akechi shows up at Shujin Academy shortly after, to find Ren, Ryuji, and Ann. "Guys, this is Goro Akechi, my colleague in investigating Palaces."

They wave politely, before Ann blinks. "Oh yeah, weren't you that detective guy that was on the news the other day? You stopped the train from crashing!"

Akechi sweatdrops. "Well, I only did what anyone would do in that situation, really."

Ren looks over at Akechi, honestly expecting his usual self to show up. "Well, anyway, Akechi has been doing this a lot longer than I have, so he's going to help us through this Palace, at least until you two can keep up. Ready to go?"

The pair both grin and nod enthusiastically. Ren smiles and activates the Metaverse Navigator, as Ryuji, Ann, and now Akechi get to see Kamoshida's Palace properly. Akechi muses.  _ Admittedly, I was mildly curious what their first foray into the Metaverse was like. This is about what I expected from Ren's stories.  _ As they walk up to the front gates, Akechi turns suddenly. 

"I want you three to look me in the eyes and get something abundantly clear. I am not your babysitter. I will not be bailing you out of trouble. If you get yourselves killed, that's not my problem. Don't do anything stupid."

Ann and Ryuji are taken a little aback by this sudden turn in Akechi. Ryuji gets in Akechi's face. "What the hell, asshole, what the eff are you talking about?"

Akechi pulls his signature raygun and aims it at Ryuji's chest. "This place is dangerous. Everything in here can and will kill you without a moment's hesitation. Even this little toy will end your life in a matter of milliseconds should I will it." He fires a shot a Ren's feet, which she dodges deftly. The blast leaves a small smoking crater in the ground. "And I'm the one that's least likely to try to kill you. So I suggest you shut your mouth and listen to me."

Ren grimaces. "Akechi. That's enough, you've gotten your point across. We have a job to do."

Akechi shrugs. "I suppose we do. You three stick close. Ren, you know the way."

Ren nods. "...First, we have to save someone."

Akechi blinks. "Did you already blow it, Amamiya? I underestimated your incompetence."

Ann pulls Ren over. "...Why do you work with this guy, anyway?"

Ren sighs. "It's a long story. But as much an asshole he is, he's right. This place is dangerous. He's just trying to keep us all alive. I don't blame either of you if you wanted to leave."

Ryuji shakes his head. "Hell no, Ren, you think we're just gonna leave you with that bastard in Kamoshida's head? Honestly, I'm getting a bad vibe from him, what if he just throws you to the wolves?"

Akechi's eye twitches. "I heard that, Sakamoto."

Ryuji staggers. "How the eff do you know my name, man? Ren never introduced us?"

Akechi shrugs. "I'm psychic."

Ryuji sticks his hands in his pockets. "Fine, don't tell us, asshole."

Ann blinks and leans over to Ren again. "He was so nice out there, what's up with him?"

Ren sweatdrops. "This is the real Akechi. The one out there is the celebrity face he has to wear. You, uh, get used to him, I swear."

Ryuji kicks a stone. "What's with him treating you like a child, too? I thought you said you'd done this before?"

Ren sighs. "So, uh, full disclosure? I uh, recently underwent a… strange incident that left me without my usual power. Honestly, with it, Akechi would be well, a little too good for us right now. He's very strong. He doesn't like stooping this low. I would be able to protect you two easily, but now…"

Ryuji pats Ren's shoulder. "Don't worry about it, pal. I gotcha. Just tell us what we need to do."

Ren nods. "Awesome. Let's go bust out a cat, then."

Ryuji and Ann look at each other confused, as Ren and Akechi dash ahead, looking for an infiltration point. They run along, as Ren tosses a grappling hook up to the ledge, and hoists the other three up. "I've still got my moves, though~"

Akechi looks over at Ren. "So what's the plan?"

Ren nods. "We have to make it to the dungeons without getting spotted. If we get caught, Kamoshida's Shadow will absolutely kidnap Ann and try to kill Ryuji and I."

Ryuji and Ann pale, as they both begin to regret their life choices, as Ann pipes up. "Um, what do you mean, Kamoshida's Shadow? Are we supposed to be worried about a shadow?"

Akechi grits his teeth. "A Shadow, capital S, is a manifestation of someone's deepest thoughts, the things they keep hidden from society writ large. This is a Palace, a place of extreme distortion that stems from a person's extremely distorted desires. Here, Kamoshida's Shadow holds immense power. I will reiterate, he WILL kill you if given the chance. Last chance to back out."

The pair look at each other and shake their heads, resolved to see this through.

Akechi nods. "In that case, stick close, there are guards everywhere. Ren, while powerless, is… I will concede, skilled at sneaking unseen and she knows the area. I will let her lead for now. You will retreat if we get spotted, though."

Ren nods and starts moving forward. The group follows behind slowly, dashing around corners and barely avoiding guards. "There's an art to moving unseen in a Palace… Cognition is very powerful. Kamoshida barely pays attention to any of us, so we have some breathing room…"

Before long, they make it into the dungeons, and Ren finds the cell keys. "Now where is he…"

A youthful voice pipes up behind her. "Hey, over here!" The group sees a strange bipedal masked cat. "Get me out of here!"

Ren nods and lets Morgana out. "Hey, thanks! See ya!"

Akechi steps on Morgana's tail before he can leave and picks him up by the scruff. "I don't think so, cat. You're gonna help us out here."

Morgana yelps as Akechi attacks him and hisses. "I am NOT a cat! And why should I listen to you?"

Akechi grins and pulls out his gun. "Because I have you at gunpoint?"

Morgana's eyes widen as Ren smacks Akechi's hand aside. "Play nice, Akechi. Your name's Morgana, right?"

Morgana blinks. "...Yeah, how did you know that?"

Ren smiles. "I know a lot more than that. So work with me, and I'll help you remember what you're missing."

Morgana looks aside, embarrassed. "As you wish…"

Akechi rolls his eyes. "Can we move along now?"

Ren nods. 

Morgana blinks. "So what's the plan?"

Ren sighs. "I'm not going to lie, this part's gonna hurt."

Ryuji and Ann are very confused. "What do you mean by that?"

Ren grimaces. "...We need to get captured. Morgana, I'm gonna need you to take Ann and hide. It's best if we take this one step at a time."

Morgana looks up at Ann with wide eyes. "O-of course! I'll protect Lady Ann with my life!"

Ann furrows her brow. "L-lady Ann?"

Ren blinks. "...On second thought, Akechi, you take Ann. Morgana, you're with us."

Akechi rolls his eyes and nods. "As you say, 'leader'."

Akechi takes Ann and runs off, as Ren, Morgana, and Ryuji dash the other way. "Seriously, dude, what the hell? What's this master plan gotta involve us getting captured?"

Ren grits her teeth. "Morgana, you have a Persona, right?"

Morgana blinks. "Yeah, don't you?"

Ren shakes her head. "Not… right now. Long story. Effectively… we're going to need to force an awakening. This is… a massive gamble. If this goes south, Morgana, I'm gonna need your help to deal with the guards."

Morgana nods. "...I suppose."

Ren grins. "Then let's go get our asses kicked."

Ryuji's eyes widen. "You're crazy. What the eff?"

Ren stops. "I want to reiterate. You can leave now. Morgana and I can get you to the entrance and get you out of here. But this is the only way we can help the people Kamoshida's hurt."

Ryuji blinks. "Who the eff are you?"

Ren smiles. "I'm Ren Amamiya, Ryuji. And I'm the girl who's gonna fix all the mistakes I've made in my life. But in order to do that, I'm gonna need a little help. What do you say? Care to dive a bit in the crazy side to get your revenge?"

Ryuji shrugs. "Ah what the hell, it's something to do. And I'm already here. Lead the way."

  
  


Akechi grits his teeth as he leads Ann away. He notices a Safe Room nearby and nods. "Here, let's hide in here." 

Ann looks around confused. "What the hell is going on?"

Akechi sits down and kicks back. "Well, this here is a Safe Room. It's a weak point in the cognition of someone. Take a close look." The storeroom shifts to look like a classroom momentarily as the pair look around. "Look familiar?"

Ann blinks and rubs her eyes. "Is that one of the classrooms?"

Akechi nods. "This is still your school, just with Kamoshida's sick, twisted thoughts overlaid on top. So, if you've got questions, start asking, we've got time."

Ann has so many questions, she has no idea where to start. "...Is Ren crazy?"

Akechi ponders this. "...Is she fully within her faculties? That's something I can't answer. But I can say with the utmost sincerity that I trust she knows what she's doing. Even if she doesn't look like it."

Ann sighs a sigh of relief. "Is Ryuji going to be okay?"

Akechi thinks for a moment. "Probably."

"PROBABLY?"

Akechi shrugs. "Assuming Ren's plan goes smoothly, which admittedly, this is a massive gamble, both of them are totally safe. They have Morgana too."

"The cat?"

Akechi rocks back. "He claims he's not a cat. Whatever he is, yes. Morgana is a Persona-user, and he's skilled at healing wounds."

"That word again, what's a… Persona?"

Akechi nods. "A Persona is the mask humans wear, that shows off the face we portray to each other. It's a manifestation of a person's soul, and a mark of a person's rebellious spirit."

Ann rubs her temples. "Do you have one of these Personas?"

Akechi nods again. "What kind of silly question is that? Of course I do."

"...Can I see it?"

Akechi shrugs. "As you wish. Just don't blame me if you get scared."

Ann staggers back as Akechi's outfit changes, the wind blowing around him as he stands in his Black Mask garb. "This is the outfit of my soul, the guise of my rebellious spirit. And THIS is my Persona! MANIFEST, LOKI!" He rips off the Black Mask, growling as Loki's long form emerges behind him, a blue glow illuminating the boy and his Persona. Ann looks up in mild terror as she attempts to get her faculties back, before Akechi dismisses Loki.

"I did warn you, Takamaki."

Ann stammers. "W-what was that?"

Akechi rolls his eyes. "I wasn't aware how much of a bimbo you were, Takamaki. I already told you that was my Persona."

Ann knees Akechi in the gut suddenly. "What did you call me, asshole? I'm not a bimbo!"

Akechi has the air knocked out of him and stumbles back, as Ann glares at him. "Don't think you get to do that a second time, bitch."

Ann balls her fists. "Why the fuck does Ren put up with you? You're a creep and a jerk! I'll take my chances on the way out, thank you very much!"

Akechi grins as she walks out the door. "...All according to plan. Now to wait."

Ann gets easily lost in the winding corridors of the castle, before being grabbed by a pair of Shadow guards. "Princess! We need to get you to Kamoshida!"

Ann glares at the guards and pushes them off of her. "You don't need to get me anywhere! You can keep your hands off me!" Her head begins splitting with pain, as she hears a voice suddenly. 

_ Finally, your rage emerges. Is this how you want to be treated? Shoved around? Manhandled? Disrespected? _

Ann grits her teeth. "Of course not. Never again."

_ Then we have an agreement. No one will ever touch you without your permission again. No one will look down on you again. Just call me forth.  _

Ann gasps as the red cat mask appears on her face and she grins as she pulls it off slowly, painfully. "COME FORTH, CARMEN!" She looks around at the Shadows surrounding her. "WHAT? DO YOU ALL WANT SOME? COME AND GET ME!"

Screams in the distance emerge from the Shadows as Akechi watches Ann rip and tear the Shadows apart with her blazing magic and fierce whip. He claps slowly as he walks up, stepping over the piles of ash across the floor. "Well done, Takamaki. You passed the test."

Ann glares at Akechi, brandishing her whip and cracking it. "Stay back, Akechi. I don't need your help."

He shakes his head. "Clearly not."

Ann blinks. "...Was this your plan the whole time? Piss me off so I'd run off and nearly get myself killed so I would awaken?"

"And it worked so marvelously."

Ann growls. "I don't like you, Akechi."

Akechi shrugs. "A common sentiment, I've found. You don't have to like me. You just have to trust me."

"About as far as I can throw you."

Akechi shakes his head. "You were safe the whole time. If things went poorly, I would have executed the Shadows with haste. But it was important you believed in yourself or you would not awaken."

Ann grimaces. "I don't like being your pawn. Or anyone's."

Akechi shrugs. "Then we have something in common. Fair's fair. You're useful now. No more secrets. Do we have a deal? Comrades?" He holds out a hand to shake.

Ann looks at it with disdain, but shakes it anyway. "...Deal." They shake, as Akechi hears a soft, feminine voice.  _ I am  _ **_thou,_ ** _ thou art I… Thou hast acquired a  _ **_new_ ** _ vow. It shall  _ **_become_ ** _ the wings of rebellion that  _ **_breaketh_ ** _ thy chains of captivity. With the  _ **_birth_ ** _ of the Lovers Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall  _ **_lead_ ** _ to freedom and new power…  _

Akechi blinks. "A-anyway, let's go find the others. I'm sure they've managed to get themselves in plenty of trouble without us to bail them out." Ann nods and hurries behind Akechi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh yeah, you all would not BELIEVE how hard it was to track down the exact wording for when you forge a confidant in P5. It seems to be like, the only image in the game that just... Doesn't exist on the internet? What a random thing to be jusg absolutely impossible to find, right?


	4. Rebranding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryuji and Ren implement The Plan(TM).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jesus, I'm so sorry for going silent for that long. It's been a long series of weeks since getting back into work. But now we're starting to get to some of the major canon convergence!

Ren grimaces as the pair leaves.

Ryuji puts a hand on her shoulder, looking concerned. "Takamaki's gonna be fine, right?"

Ren nods slowly. "She's gonna be safe. She might not like me much when she comes back though."

Ryuji puts his hands in his pockets, shrugging. "Meh, good enough for me. Ready to go, Ren? What's the plan?"

Ren leans against the wall. "We're gonna need to make a scene. Ideally, the two of us need to get captured while Morgana hides and tails us."

Morgana salutes. "I can handle that! I'm very sneaky~"

Ryuji looks concerned at Ren. "Are we seriously trusting our safety to a cat?"

"I'M NOT A CAT!" Morgana hisses at Ryuji.

"He's not." Ren concurs, even though she knows better.

Ryuji raises an eyebrow. "Whatever, not relevant right now. What can you do, anyway, Morgana?"

Morgana grins. "Just watch and learn, numbskull."

"Who ya calling Numbskull, cat?"

"Who ya calling Cat, Numbskull?"

Ren sighs. "If you don't stop, I'll have to go get myself killed by myself."

Ryuji and Morgana both look at Ren concerned.

Ryuji puts a hand on her shoulder again. "...Are you ok, Ren? You scare me."

Ren shakes her head. "Just done this before, not exactly fond of this step. Like to get it over if I can."

Morgana blinks. "A-anyway, shall we get moving?"

Ren nods. "Yes, please, let's."

They head upstairs, Ren mulling over the plan.  _ Ok, we get caught, ideally Kamoshida tries to execute us personally again, and we do everything all over again, I summon Irene and we break out. Ideally, Ryuji gets a chance to bail us on the way out. The fewer days we have to spend in here, the better. Maybe we can...  _

Reaching the entrance hall, Ren and Ryuji look at each other. "Ryuji, think you can handle the distraction?"

"You know it, Ren, I got this!" He saunters out, hollering at the guards. "Hey assholes! What's it take for a guy to get a guided tour around here?"

The guards alert immediately. "Halt! What are you doing in King Kamoshida's castle?"

"Oh shit!" He runs off as they draw their weapons and chase him. Ren dashes off after him as they're followed. 

"Ryuji! We need to confront them!"

"Are you insane? They're armed! We can't take them!"

"Morgana's on backup duty, we've got this, come on!"

Ryuji trips, his leg catching. "F-fuck! Ren!"

Ren's eyes widen. "I've got you, Ryuji!"  _ Fuck, I forgot about that. _

She helps Ryuji up as the guards catch up. "Get behind me, Ryuji, you can't fight like that!"

Ryuji shakes his head. "Hell no, if we're fighting, you're leaving this to me." He stands falteringly and imposes himself between Ren and the group of guards. 

"If you wanna get to us, come and get me! Kamoshida can kiss my ass, and his goons aren't shit!"

The guards surround the pair. "Ren… if you've got some master plan, now would be a great time."

"J-just a bit longer…"

The guard looks at Ren, grimacing. "You, you're the one our King has marked for Death. The worthless trash. Well, we don't usually do trash collection, but we'll do whatever the King requests."

As one starts to bring his sword down onto Ren's head, she freezes up.  _ W-wait! I was supposed to save him first! I can't protect myself yet! _

Ryuji yells. "I SAID ME FIRST, BASTARD!" He pushes Ren away, rolling away with her as the sword clangs against the ground. He grabs his head, his mind screaming with the telltale voice of Captain Kidd. **_You want to save her, yes?_** Ryuji stands, staggering as he nods. "Of course I do. She's probably crazy as hell, but she's genuine." **_Then give into your rage. Take my power, feel the lightning fill your bones, let your flag of rebellion fly!_** He grins, pulling his new Skull shaped mask off of his face with a pained groan. "ALL RIGHT, TIME TO KICK ASS! CAPTAIN KIDD!" Sliding underneath the guards, he slams the one that attacked Ren with a steel pipe, as Captain Kidd fires a shot of Zio at another. They both vanish into a cloud of shadows, as the others begin to manifest their normal Shadow forms. A Pixie and a Bicorn glower at Ryuji. 

"Attack the prone one! The skull faced one will lose morale!"

"OH HELL NO!" He intercepts Bicorn's charge, as Ren staggers back. 

Ren gulps.  _ Fuck, this was easy when I was reacting on instinct. I'm thinking too much. _ She clutches her head. Pulling off her glasses, she rubs her eyes.  _ There it goes. Here to bail me out finally, Irene?  _ The familiar voice of Irene, Ren's first Persona echoes through her mind.  **_What a curious case, calling on me twice in one life. Well no matter, I gave my service then, I give it freely now. Just do me a favor? Keep me with you this time._ ** Ren nods. "As you wish. COME FORTH, IRENE!" Ripping her iconic mask off, she manifests her guise of rebellion, a long coat draping around her shoulders, a form fitting long black gown hugging her mostly non-existent curves. Long black boots extend up her legs, ending in sharp stilettos. She brandishes a dagger, flipping it, catching it in a reverse grip. "Sorry for the hesitation, Ryuji. Let's do this." She slashes at the Bicorn, before casting a Curse spell, hitting for massive damage.  _...That wasn't Eiha? Irene?  _ **_You've grown. So have I. Let's end this._ ** Ren nods and grins. "I'm leaving the Pixie to you, Morgana!"

Morgana grins and flips into the scene, manifesting Zorro, slashing with his cutlass. "As you wish! And might I say, looking good, Ren~"

"Don't make me regret this, Morgana. Just take it out!" 

"R-right! Come on, Zorro!" He launches a Garu, taking out the Pixie in one fell swoop.

No longer surrounded, the trio breathes heavily. "I-I forgot how much that takes out of you." Ren slumps, no longer driven by adrenaline.

Ryuji nods. "W-what the hell… Was that, anyway?"

Ren takes a deep breath. "I-I'll explain when we get to a Safe Room, ok?"

Morgana's eyes widen. "Ren, your Persona's amazing! I haven't seen one that strong!"

Ren gulps. "W-well, I have been doing this a while, even if I was… indisposed."

Morgana nods. "I knew I picked a good one."

Ryuji looks at Morgana funny. "She recruited you, dumbass, not the other way around."

Ren sweatdrops. "Guys, Safe Room. Come on." She dashes off. The pair blink and run off behind her. 

Eventually, the trio run into Akechi and Ann. He looks them up and down. "Well, I'd say that was a success then."

Ann blinks. "How can you tell? H-hey! Your clothes!" She blushes at Ren. "T-that's a nice dress, Ren-chan."

Ren blushes and smiles at Ann. "T-thanks, Ann. I-I think that's good for today's mission team. We need some rest."

Ann looks at Ryuji. "And what are you supposed to be?"

Ryuji stomps and glares. "What's that supposed to mean? You look like-"

"I wouldn't finish that sentence if you know what's good for you!" She puts her hands on her hips. 

Akechi nods. "I wouldn't recommend making her mad, Sakamoto. She's a crack hand with that whip."

Ryuji blinks. "U-uh, okay…"

Ren stands next to Akechi. "Guys! Safe Room! Escape!"

Ann and Akechi nod. "Yes, let's get going," Akechi concurs, leading the way. Upon slamming the door into the Safe Room, Ren slumps into a chair, as the rest of the team gather around the table. "We're safe here." She explains the effects of the Safe Room to Ryuji. "We should also be able to exfiltrate easily from here, all of the areas we've accessed of low cognition are… connected. Don't ask me why, but we should be able to make it outside easily." As if to explain, she opens the door, dumping the group outside the front gate. 

Ann and Ryuji blink. "W-what? How did we get all the way out here?"

Ren shrugs. "Like I said, not sure, the Metaverse is weird. My best guess? Kamoshida can't sense us there, and since he sees us as so fundamentally beneath him, unless he's actively got eyes on us, he can't tell precisely where in the castle we are, so we can kinda end up wherever we need to be."

Morgana nods slowly. "You know a lot of the Metaverse. That's nearly precisely correct. I doubt I could explain it much better, Lady Ren."

"You're gonna stop with that, Morgana."

"Oh, but he's allowed to call me Lady Ann?"

"You can stop with that too, Morgana." Ren crosses her arms.

Akechi pinches his nose. "I'm surrounded by idiots."

Ryuji grins suddenly. "Oh yeah, we should have like, code names right? We've got masks and disguises! We're like thieves or something, right? They always have code names in the movies and shit! You're our leader, right?" He looks at Ren. "What do you think we should be called?"

She shrugs. "When Akechi and I were doing this, I was called Joker. I'm not sure if I want to stick with that, though."

Akechi raises an eyebrow. "Well, if you're not taking Joker, I think I'll rebrand as well. Call me Ace. A different trump card, if you will."

Ren thinks for a second. "As you wish, mister Ace Detective."

Akechi grins. "Yes, I quite like the sound of that."

Ren looks up. "Well, if you're taking my theme, I think I'll take yours. Fair's fair. Call me Raven."

Ryuji blinks. "Huh. I don't take you for the edgy type."

Ann thinks for a bit. "I dunno, I'm not sure what I should be called?"

Ren shrugs. "Panther? You've got the sleek look, and the cat motif."

Ann nods. "That's nice…"

"And you'll be Skull, Ryuji." 

He beams. "That sounds sick!" He points at Morgana. "I dunno about you. How do you feel about Mona?"

Morgana bristles, but nods. "If that's what everyone thinks I should be called, I'll go with it."

Ryuji pumps his fist in the air. "Then it's settled!"

Ren nods. "Now, can we please get out of here? That was exhausting."

The other two who awakened today nod. The group walks out, as the Metaverse Navigator chimes, "Thank you for your hard work. Returning to the real world."


	5. Update

So uh, I wanna start with an apology, after the massive burst of inspiration regarding both this and my previous fic while playing through P5R, COVID Isolation really got me fucked up with executive dysfunction, and that really hasn't gone away even now that I'm back at work. Sorry for keeping people waiting so long between chapters, it's just been... rough right now, as I'm sure everyone can understand. 

Now that that's out of the way, I wanna go over some things I'm considering that I'm looking for feedback on. Currently I'm working on the next chapter, which happens to be taking part in Akechi's perspective, based on the pattern I've already established. Problem is, especially for these early scenes... We have no idea what Akechi was up to, so my interpretation of events is a lot more... difficult, to say the least. Should I try to mix up the flow of the story, focusing more on Ren for the time being, or do you all want to see me try to speculate more on Akechi's side as well? Likewise, I'm debating, given the nature of the story, cutting out some of the fluff. The first palace is mostly tutorial, and given the story is from the eyes of two people who have already experienced everything, do you think I should kinda fast forward through some of the behind the scenes stuff? Like, do we really need to introduce all of the side confidants from this first palace right now, or should I slot them in later? I have ideas for Akechi meeting Iwai in particular, which I'm very excited for, but I'm not totally sure how I want to deal with the others... Do you think it's better if Ren handles some of the confidants, and kinda splits the role of the Wild Card between the two? Just looking for feedback, not totally sure how to progress from here.

Next, I just wanna give some teasers for some things I'm definitely considering once I get past my roadblock. 

1) Introduction of Best Girl(TM), happening ASAP, feel free to speculate on who. 

2) Ren starts collecting her party... who's next may shock you.

3) Operation Maidwatch? What happens if Ryuji doesn't see Ren as one of the bros? :3c

4) Akechi seems to be awfully out of the loop compared to the rest of the party, doesn't he? Wouldn't it be nice if he were... closer to the action?

And more! I have lots of ideas, I'm just... stuck on the current chapter. Appreciate everyone's patience, these are trying times, after all. Looking forward to more content... soon-ish?


	6. Tinker, Doctor, Student, Spy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akechi and Ren talk about the nature of the Velvet Room, with Akechi leaving with more questions then answers. Ren tasks him with an ominous request, then tells him to prepare...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lmao, after yesterday's "announcement", I really wasn't expecting to come out with another chapter so quickly. Something just kinda... hit me this morning, and I had to get words down. Feedback is still requested, as always!

Akechi mulls over the day's events as he walks back to his apartment.  _ About what I expected, to be honest. To be surprised at all at this point would be the most surprising thing. Shadows in Kamoshida's Palace are beyond weak, and being there would be not only a waste of my potential, but also a drain on my limited free time. I should let the others do this. If they can't do it, then well, maybe Ren shouldn't have been leader in the first place.  _ He pauses as he gets to the door.  _ I'm irked that did leave me so exhausted, I suppose. It's not like I haven't done my fair share of Metaverse exploiting myself. Maybe it's like a muscle, I've been… Well. Gone, I suppose, for who knows how long. Maybe I'm rusty. _

He ponders for a moment as he lays in bed. "...Can I even summon Robin Hood anymore? I didn't even bother to try, Loki's so much more… natural. And I have no reason to hide my true face. Perhaps if I go back to the Velvet Room I can get some more answers… I should... " He grimaces. "I should ask Ren about that place. Something doesn't sit right with me about it, and I hate. Being a pawn in someone else's game. Let's talk to her about it." A wave of lethargy washes over him. 

"...Let's talk to her about it tomorrow." He's not sure why he insists on riding his bike halfway across Tokyo after missions, besides raw stubbornness, but now he's regretting not taking the subway for once. "Ugh, this better go away soon, I need to get back to full form soon."

The next morning, Akechi runs into Ren at the train station. While he'd much rather bike on such a warm day, the subway is unfortunately important to get him to school on time. And besides, he's more likely to run into… important people. "Ah, just the person I was looking for." He beams an insincere smile at Ren. "I have a few questions, do you think you have time this afternoon?"

Ren looks hesitant. "Well… I was hoping we could go into Kamoshida's Palace today."

Akechi shakes his head. "Don't you have preparations to make first? I'm positive none of you have adequate firepower or medicinal reserves, and you don't have your contacts anymore. You've not got a deadline right now, Kurusu. And I have more… pressing concerns."

Ren grimaces. "As you wish, Akechi. After school, Kichijoji? The lounge."

Akechi nods. "That sounds perfect. I expect you promptly." He walks away, smirking to himself. School, even under normal circumstances is boring, but vital to keep up appearances as a detective savant. And this year is easier than most, given he's already learned everything once before.  _ Perhaps… That would make things… more convenient. Though timing it appropriately to be less suspicious will be key. As of now, Shido knows nothing about the Phantom Thieves, and has no reason to. They haven't done anything yet.  _

Akechi ponders some more, idly answering questions as he's asked them without much more than a passing interest. Far from his usual public demeanor of polite cheerfulness, a few people ask if he's okay. He brushes them off with a simple, "Oh, my apologies, I simply have a case on my mind, I trust you understand." This gets most people to back down, but he grits his teeth as he heads to Kichijoji after school. 

Ren shows up about an hour later. "Sorry, Akechi, got held up by my teachers. It's in my best interest for my record still to be receptive to their instructions."

Akechi grits his teeth but can't fault her. "Just don't let it happen again, Amamiya. Now, I've not got all day. Let's just get this over with."

Ren rolls her eyes. "You know, you could act like this isn't killing you. You're the one who asked me here, not the other way around. I have things I could be doing too, you know."

Akechi nods. "Indeed. Well, let's get to the point then. What all do you know about The Velvet Room?"

Ren stops for a moment. "We've discussed this before, during the last time. What- Hmm. You know. That makes sense. You've made a contract with Igor, haven't you?"

Akechi grimaces. "An astute conjecture. I can only guess by your reaction you've done the same previously, yes?"

Ren nods, thinking for a moment. "Yes… But last time, I was approached immediately after receiving my Persona. That didn't happen this time. So my guess is… You're Igor's pawn this time. So really, let me ask you, what do YOU know about the Velvet Room?"

Akechi dislikes hearing that he's a pawn again, but he lets it slide for now. "Admittedly, aside from what you told me then, very little. You weren't exactly very forthcoming with details either."

"In my defense, even where we can enter a world of distorted desires and the collective unconsciousness, it's hard to explain the Velvet Room to those who haven't experienced it. What did it look like to you?"

_ Interesting, that implies a few things… _ "To me? Does that mean it looks different to other people?"

Ren nods slowly. "From what I've gathered… yes. As for what, I'm not positive. When I was a… contractor of the Velvet Room it was-"

"A prison?" Akechi steeples his fingers and watches Ren's reaction.

She flinches. "Y-yes, how did you guess?"

Akechi thinks for a moment. "Interesting… it was the same for me."

Ren blinks. "...That's almost certainly significant. Are you an inmate?"

Akechi nods. "Yes. I assume you were too?"

"Yes. Though, supposedly, I wasn't supposed to be…"

Akechi raises an eyebrow. "Oh? Care to elaborate?"

"Hmm. There's actually quite a bit I'm hesitant to explain. I never know when Igor is listening. I don't… trust him. And you shouldn't either." She thinks for a moment. "...Humor me for a moment. You remember our duel from back then yes, the one in Mementos? I have a sneaking suspicion we might find something… interesting if we return."

Akechi furrows his brow. "You best not be trying to trick me, Amamiya. I will gut you like a fish in Mementos if you're lying."

Ren nods slowly. "I recognize this… I just… have a feeling. Forgive me, I can't explain this here. Prepare yourself for… a difficult encounter. I can't discuss the exact nature of what we might encounter, but there is the possibility of a… rather strenuous test of strength. More intense than our duel, even."

Akechi looks mildly concerned for the first time. He composes himself quickly and snarks, "Our fearless leader, shaken? This must be serious. As you wish, I will prepare Loki and-"

Ren shakes her head. "No. You're going to need more than Loki. Trust me on this one. If I'm correct about this… This will need everything you can throw at it. And I pray I'm not. But it's likely the only way I can explain what I need to without… Prying eyes."

Akechi grimaces. "And how, pray tell, do you expect me to get More Than Loki? I suppose there's Robin Hood too."

Ren nods. "That's a start. Seek out the Velvet Room again. We can head to Kamoshida's Palace tomorrow to see if it has shown up yet. Here… You're going to want to head here, and here." He gives Akechi the address of a local clinic and a particular airsoft manufacturer… "And… I'm not sure how I have these. But these may help." She hands Akechi a pair of items, a Dog Tag on a chain, and a Gecko Pin.

"And what the hell am I supposed to do with these?" Akechi grimaces, pocketing the pair of trinkets.

"I… think they're supposed to symbolize my bond with the people they're important to, if I understood… her correctly. I can't guarantee anything, but maybe… They'll help you out too." Ren looks contemplatively. 

"You're an aggravatingly byzantine person to understand, you recognize, Ren?"

She shakes her head. "...Trust me, if I could be more forthright right now, I would be. I'm playing a lot of this by ear. Time travel's not exactly… a familiar road to walk, as you can imagine."

Akechi shrugs. "Sounds like you need to watch more sci-fi."

Ren stops and thinks. "You sound like… Futaba. Wait. I have an idea. I have to go, Akechi, I'm sorry, meet me at the school tomorrow afternoon!"

Akechi growls, annoyed as Ren rushes out. "Whatever you say, bitch." He glares at the trinkets Ren gave him, staring at them. He puts the dog tag around his neck and stands. "Well. From what I hear, this doctor she visited has some… potent concoctions. I suppose it's worth a visit…"

An hour or so later, after looking in Yongen-Jaya for the address, Akechi stumbles into Takemi's Clinic, unexpecting a blast of loud rock music coming from the back. "Fuck, what am I getting myself into…" He walks up to the counter and composes himself. "Excuse me?" Seeing no response, he tries again, louder. "Hello?"

The music stops suddenly and a blue haired woman steps up to the window, looking a little perplexed. "Oh, hello, sorry, I wasn't expecting anyone right now."

Akechi looks a little sheepish. "I do apologize, the sign said you were open, I can come back later if it's an inopportune time. Are you Dr. Takemi? A friend of mine recommended me to you." He fidgets with the dog tag.

"I am, though why anyone would recommend me is beyond me-" She notices the dog tag and grows silent. "Pardon me a moment, I do apologize." She heads away to check something, before returning with a sigh. "Sorry about that, I just- Wait. You're that Akechi kid, aren't you? The one that's on the news all the time. Call you the 'Detective Prince' or something, right?"

Akechi smiles, looking a little flustered. "T-that would be me, yes. Is there a problem, Doctor?"

She grimaces. "You're looking for something, aren't you?"

Akechi blinks, confused. "I'm sure I don't know what you mean, I simply was looking for a new doctor. I'm sure you can understand, the life of a detective, especially one without the resources of a proper team, is not the most safe. Perhaps you would be willing to help me if I need anything?"

Takemi rolls her eyes. "I'm not sure who you're trying to fool, kid. Whoever gave you… that. Knows more than you're letting on. Why don't we step into the back and discuss this like adults?"

Akechi nods, growing serious. "As you wish, Doctor."

Heading into an exam room, she locks the door. "I don't know where you got those dog tags, and I don't care at the moment. But you're a sharp kid. Tell me straight, is this a sting? Are you working with my old bosses?"

Akechi shakes his head. "Permission to be blunt, Takemi-san?"

She nods, raising an eyebrow.

Akechi clears his throat and slips slightly out of character. "My sources indicate you have some proprietary medication that is, to put simply, quite potent. I have no interest in going to your old bosses, or the police for that matter. But I do have a particular need for some strong medication due to a… series of missions I'm planning on working on, and I need a doctor willing to be both discrete and bend the rules a bit."

Takemi nods. "As you wish. But I ask for something in return, my little Detective. Call this… Insurance. In case you go to the police, let's have there be a little quid pro quo. I am running a clinical trial for a new medication. I need a healthy test subject. The results of this research are vitally important. If you're so dedicated to the cause of justice, you'll help me out with this, won't you?"

Akechi grimaces. "What will I need to do?"

Takemi leans back. "It's reasonably simple. I'll give you the medication, and run a few tests on you. A little blood work, some vitals, monitor any side effects, the usual. Perhaps some more vigorous tests like a fitness exam, that kind of thing. You can trust me. I'm a doctor." She grins.

Akechi nods. "Deal. Now show me your finest medicines."

Takemi raises an eyebrow. "Are you sure you can handle my finest medicines?"

Akechi rolls his eyes. "Let's not start this, Takemi-san. Let's just cut to the chase, and I'll take your first… dose, if that's the plan."

Takemi shakes her head. "First I need to do baseline tests. You can come back and do the first dose at your earliest convenience, but today will just be mostly a routine physical."

Akechi nods. "Noted. And afterwards?"

Takemi sighs. "I will show you the medicines."

Akechi smiles. "Excellent. I do apologize for the inconvenience, Doctor. I look forward to a mutually beneficial partnership."

He offers a handshake, which she accepts. Once again, that same feminine voice…  _ I am  _ **_thou,_ ** _ thou art I… Thou hast acquired a  _ **_new_ ** _ vow. It shall  _ **_become_ ** _ the wings of rebellion that  _ **_breaketh_ ** _ thy chains of captivity. With the  _ **_birth_ ** _ of the Death Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall  _ **_lead_ ** _ to freedom and new power…  _

After a short examination, she sends him on his way, but not before he stocks up on whatever he deems… useful. Before heading home, however, he decides to stop in Shibuya to take a look at this… Airsoft Shop.  _ What a disgusting place. The name, however, Untouchables… It rings a bell. Wait… I remember… _

He steps in, a bell signalling his presence. An oddly foreboding chill sinks down his spine, as the customers begin looking at him. He's definitely out of place, and everyone knows it.  _ I've not got the benefit of looking like a delinquent, like Ren does. I'm too visible. Perhaps this will be useful… _ He approaches the counter, blinking as he realizes he recognizes the proprietor.  _ Yes, I definitely remember this man. It was years ago… but… _

The gruff man looks up at the teenager and rolls his eyes. "Listen, if you're here about any rumors you've heard, detective, I don't gotta tell you nothing, kid. Especially without no warrant." 

Akechi shakes his head and smiles. "No, nothing of the sort, sir. I'm merely here on the recommendation of a friend of mine, perhaps you've seen him in here, a Shujin student by the name of Sakamoto? Yellow hair, loudmouth, bit of a delinquent?"

The man raises an eyebrow. "What's a kid like him hanging out with a narc like you for?"

Akechi's eye twitches slightly. "Do you always talk to your customers like this, sir?"

The shop grows quiet. He stands. "You don't like it, you can always leave, kid. You're making my clientele nervous, detective." He says this last bit with the disdain one would give to a word like "pest".

Akechi nods. "I can see we've gotten off on the wrong foot. May I ask your name, sir?"

"Iwai."

"Iwai-san-"

"No, Iwai. If you want to be taken seriously here, act like a man and stop with the sir's and san's. Understood."

Akechi growls. "Fine, Iwai, then."

Iwai smirks. "There we go. Now what can I do ya for?"

Akechi nods. "I'm in the market for some collectors items. But, as you might expect, it's not exactly a… good look for someone in my field to be acquisitioning such… well crafted airsoft weaponry. Might look real on my person, and we can't have that if I'm trying to get into the force."

Iwai rolls his eyes. "Cut the bullshit, kid. What. Do. You. Want."

Akechi sighs. "All right, fine. This is going to be a bit embarrassing. The Sakamoto thing was a lie. Truth is, I remember seeing your stuff on display at a craft show I went to with my mother before she passed. I was quite young, but I remember being… quite taken with some of your more… well, fanciful options. And well." He rubs the back of his neck. "My mother always told me she'd buy me one of your replica laser guns when I got older, but… Well. Now she can't. So I told myself as a child, when I had the money, I would purchase one myself. A bit of a childish dream, but I'm a man of my word. If you would indulge me?"

Iwai blinks, not expecting this of all things from the straight-laced detective, but he grins. "Not often I get a request for my niche stuff, outside of craft shows and conventions. I started building them 'cause of my son, you know? Are you perhaps familiar with that Featherman show or whatever it's called?"

Akechi, having said too much, stammers a bit. "I-I'm aware of the show, yes, I wouldn't say I know much about it, though."

"Whatever you say, kid. Well, what strikes your fancy?" He pulls down a heavy display case, opening it up to show off a few replicas from the show.

"Oh, what exquisite craftsmanship… I've seen closeup pictures of the props used, but nothing so intricate as this…"

"I thought you didn't know anything about it, detective."

Akechi clears his throat. "I do my due diligence before making purchasing decisions, that's all."

Iwai shrugs. "Whatever. Anyway, if you're looking at that model…" He lists a price.

Akechi stammers and staggers back. "I-I'm sorry sir-" A glare shoots at Akechi. "Sorry, Iwai, you can't be serious?"

"Deadly. Do I look like a man who fucks around?" He leans back, the lollipop in his mouth flicking back and forth.

"Constantly. I can't see you taking anything seriously." Akechi rolls his eyes, not taking this man seriously anymore.

Iwai blinks and laughs at that. "All right you little punk. That was a test, and you passed." He looks at the gecko pin. "Hey… you've got good taste in accessories, kid."

Akechi blinks. "Oh, this? A friend of mine gave it to me… Said it was good luck. I'm not the superstitious type, but, well. I'm not a gambling man, either."

Iwai laughs. "Yeah, I can see that, detective. Geckos are said to be protectors, after all. Anyway, since you passed the test, I'll help you out. I know you highschoolers are working on… limited funds. Even one with connections like you. I'll help you out with some of my finer works on the cheap. But I'm gonna ask a favor from you as well. My son, Kaoru." He sighs. "I worry a lot about the kid. Do you think you could take some time and tutor him? Not that he needs it, boy's sharp as a tack. But more just to be like, I dunno, a role model? I've not exactly got the most… glamorous of occupations, you understand, and I'm worried he might be embarrassed of me. I just don't want him following in his old man's footsteps. He's got a good head on his shoulders, but he needs more than good grades to get into a good university. I figure a celebrity like yourself might give him the clout he needs."

Akechi nods contemplatively. "I see… I think I can manage that. Understand that my own studies and job take precedent, of course."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm not asking the bigshot detective to spend every day with him or anything. Just when you can. If you help me out, I'll even let you take a look at the secret menu. Deal?"

Akechi nods and offers a handshake. Iwai takes it, giving a strong, firm handshake in return. "Deal." Once again…  _ I am  _ **_thou,_ ** _ thou art I… Thou hast acquired a  _ **_new_ ** _ vow. It shall  _ **_become_ ** _ the wings of rebellion that  _ **_breaketh_ ** _ thy chains of captivity. With the  _ **_birth_ ** _ of the Hanged Man Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall  _ **_lead_ ** _ to freedom and new power…  _

Akechi leaves the premises with a new ray gun and a lot of questions... _ What on earth have I gotten myself into? Did Ren have to deal with people asking everything of her too? _


	7. Sequence Breaking, and Other Such Bugs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ren rushes home, with a devilish idea afoot. How will this play out?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, I continue my feverish pitch~ I don't know how much longer I will keep up this breakneck pace, but I hope to get as much as I can out before I hit another wall. ^^:

Ren dashes home from the train station, rounding the corner to Leblanc, before composing herself.  _ Can't let Boss think something's the matter, he might ask too many questions. Best to take a breather. _

After gathering her breath and calming down, she strolls into Leblanc nonchalantly, as Sojiro looks her up and down. "Finally home, huh? Good, means I can close up shop. Here, catch." He tosses the keys to Ren. "Lock up when I leave. You can head out if you want, just stay in Yongen-Jaya, and don't stay out too late. Just make sure you don't leave the store unlocked if you're not here."

Ren nods. "Thank you, Sojiro-san. I appreciate the trust in me."

Sojiro sighs and shakes his head. "I trust you as far as I can throw you kid, remember I'll have you locked up in a heartbeat again if I catch anything out of place here. I just don't want to have to deal with you asking me to go out. This is a matter of mutual convenience, you hear?"

Ren nods. "Regardless, I do appreciate it. You won't regret it."

Sojiro groans. "Whatever you say, kid. I'm going home. Don't forget to flip the sign and lock up."

Ren nods. Once Sojiro's gone, she locks up, and grins. "All right, time for my next project. Oh, Ali Baba~ I know you've been spying, my little fly on the wall~"

Immediately, Ren's phone goes crazy. 

_ How do you know my name? _

_ How did you know I was listening? _

_ I didn't detect any of my sensors out of place. _

"I know a lot more than that, Ali Baba. Or should I say, Futaba Sakura, daughter of Wakaba Isshiki, and adopted charge of Sojiro Sakura? Tell you what, I'll tell you what I know if you help me out with something. Favors for favors."

_...What do you want? _

"Pretty simple. I want everything you can dig up on these people: Suguru Kamoshida. Ichiryusai Madarame. Junya Kaneshiro. Kunikazu Okumura. Sae Niijima. Masayoshi Shido. And Takuto Maruki. No rush, I imagine it might take some time for some of them."

_ Uh.... I can get you the info you want, though I'm seeing these are pretty oddly specific people. What's the throughline?  _

"School project."

_ Even I know that's bullshit. What's your game? _

Ren smiles. "Patience Ali Baba, all will be revealed in time. Can't lay out my cards too early. You never know who's listening, after all."

_ No one's bugged that store but me! I triple checked it! _

Ren heads upstairs. "Did you bug my room too? I'd like to stay comfortable while we speak."

_ Of course I did. I'm nothing if not thorough.  _

Ren heads upstairs. "...All right then. Would you believe me if I said I'm psychic?"

_ Bullshit, prove it. _

"I figured you might say that. How else would I have noticed your bugs? You saw no signs of tampering, after all."

_ I'm not the only paranoid person in Tokyo. You could have a bug finder. Didn't you just get out of juvie? _

"Ah, yes, but where would I have gotten something like that on such short notice? You're smarter than this, Ali Baba. Well, unfortunately, my powers of precognition are sporadic at best. But if you're keeping an eye on that first name, Kamoshida… Watch the news. He'll be in it, Monday, May 2, turning himself into the cops on charges of assault and abuse."

_...That sounds less like precognition and more like blackmail. _

"Perhaps, my fine friend. But one thing can be assured. I am correct. You have until then to find as much information as you can on those subjects. Or at least, on the next target, Madarame."

_ And if I refuse? _

"I suppose there's no reason to trust me, but let me assure you, it's well worth your time. I have information that is of vital importance to you, Ali Baba. I am willing to share it, but I have a feeling you won't believe me without a little… test of my skills, so to speak."

_ Hmm. Very well. And if I just sent an anonymous tip to the police, saying you're planning on committing some form of conspiracy against your teacher? _

"Now, now, you wouldn't do that, would you? We're going to be great friends, Ali Baba. After all, I've foreseen it~ But fair's fair, I'll leave you with a reason not to rat me out. I'm a better curry chef than Sojiro. And I'll prove it if you meet me here."

_ Ok, now I KNOW you're lying. This I have to see. _

"I'll start cooking something now, if you want to watch."

_ I can't leave, Sojiro's home, you know that. _

"I also know Sojiro won't step foot in your room, and there's a window behind the curtain next to your desk. You can be here and back in an hour, guaranteed. Sojiro uses conks out about this time anyway if he's not on a date, the old geezer."

_...I hate how much you know, you realize. _

"Don't blame me, blame my psychic powers~"

_ I'll be there in 10. _

"Door's unlocked~"

Ren hums to herself as she heads downstairs to prepare coffee and curry. A certain orange haired young lady walks in, wearing a comically large false head. Ren would be surprised if she wasn't disturbingly aware of the signature item of the reclusive Futaba. "Hi, Futaba~ Or Ali Baba, would you prefer? Given we're now speaking face to face- Well, face to mask."

A mumble barely escapes the mask. 

"Sorry, one more time?"

"Y-you can call me Futaba here…"

Ren smiles and gestures for her to have a seat. "Then sit down and relax, I'll have curry done shortly. I prepared your favorite~"

She blinks. "How on earth do you know my-"

"Psychic."

"That's going to get real annoying, real fast."

Ren slides a bowl of curry and a cup of coffee down to her after a few minutes. "Now, the old man will never admit to me being better than him, not for several months, anyway. But I did master his recipes. Have a taste."

She hesitantly takes a bite. And blinks. She removes the mask. "...This is my mother's recipe."

Ren nods solemnly. "...Indeed it is. She gave it to Sojiro, well…"

Futaba stands, unable to finish the curry. "...I have to go."

Ren blinks, before grabbing Futaba's hand. "Hey. Just a minute. I swear, and then you can forget everything that's happened here."

Futaba looks up at her, confused. "What do you want from me?" She starts welling up with tears.

Ren sighs. "This was a mistake. I thought this time-"

Futaba looks even more lost. "This time? What do you mean?"

Ren sits down. "You'll believe me even less than you believe I'm psychic."

Futaba balls her fists. "You've made no sense for the last hour! I want the truth, and I want it now! Who are you, and what are you planning?"

Ren sighs. "My name is Akira Kurusu, though I'm sure you knew that much. And, I'm from the future. About a year in the future, to be precise. About three months from now, you would have heard of me and my friends as a group known as the Phantom Thieves of Heart. We are a group of cognition traveling bandits, that steal the distorted desires and cognitions of people, people that need changing. Or at least… We will be. I'm still working on that right now. In fact, shortly after you would have heard about us, you will have asked for our services personally. To steal your heart. Because you feel intense guilt about your mother's death."

Futaba looks absolutely furious. "AND WHY THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO BELIEVE THAT? DO YOU KNOW HOW CRAZY YOU SOUND RIGHT NOW?"

Ren smiles. "Do you want proof? Do you want vindication?"

Futaba blinks. "Proof? Vindication? What the hell are you on about?"

"Let's sneak you back in before Sojiro gets suspicious. We have to be quiet. But I promise, I can show you when we get back to your room."

Futaba simmers quietly, before putting the head back on and opening the door. Ren follows quickly behind, as she darts around the corner. Ren locks up and calmly walks over to Sojiro's place, just in time to see Futaba sneaking in the window. Ren vaults over the small wall surrounding the Sakura residence and sneaks in behind her. 

"Here. Now what do you want to show me?"

Ren pulls out her phone and queues up the MetaNav. "Begin location search: Futaba Sakura's Room in Sojiro Sakura's House, The Tomb of Wrath."

_ Location found. _

After a moment, the room shimmers, vanishing as the pair stand in a small chamber, surrounded by stone walls. Futaba blinks and looks around. "I-is this a pyramid?"

Ren nods. "This is the world inside your heart, Futaba. This is the Tomb you see your room as." A screech echoes from outside. "...And that is the monster that is the guilt you feel about your mother."

Futaba nervously looks around. "Is this safe?"

Ren smiles. "I wouldn't take you anywhere that's not safe, Futaba. Trust me." She offers a hand to the girl, and leads her deeper in, before they are stopped by… Another Futaba.

Shadow Futaba floats gently down from the level above, quietly remarking, "So. You're finally here." She looks at Ren. "There's a strange sense of… Nostalgia surrounding you. Like Deja Vu. No matter." She floats over to Futaba. "Shall we begin? I have much to show you."

Futaba nods hesitantly… "What… could you possibly show me?"

Shadow Futaba smiles gently. "What you've forgotten. Our Treasure. Follow me."

Ren goes to follow as well, but Shadow Futaba shakes her head. "You've done well leading her here, but let me do this. This is for our eyes only." Ren gulps as the Palace's Defenses begin to whir, as if warning her. Ren's Rebellious Spirit activates, showing off her signature black gown, but she nods and steps back.

"As you wish. I trust she's safe in your hands."

The Shadow smiles. "But of course. If she perishes, so shall I. We may not return together, but she will return. Whole."

Ren nods and waits patiently. And waits. And waits. And waits some more- Suddenly the roof of the Pyramid shakes, as it gets knocked off violently. Ren dashes upstairs, eyes wide, as she comes face to face with Cognitive Wakaba Isshiki, monstrous sphinx, and menace of Futaba's Palace. Just as she arrives, behind her is the familiar UFO of Futaba's Persona, Necronomicon. "Eyyyy, Ren, the Cavalry's here! My Shadow told me everything! I uh, don't know how to fight this thing, but I can provide support!"

Ren nods. "Leave the fighting to me."

Futaba grins and starts vigorously typing. "Then let's send this mockery of my mother to hell!"

Ren suddenly grimaces, regretting many life decisions. This is the first time she's attempted to fight a foe of this caliber alone. Well, aside from… Well. She supposes it's been a handful of times, but most of those times were after a long, drawn out battle, wasting the energy of her foe. This will be a true test of strength. "Come forth, Irene!" She summons her Persona, staring down the monstrous elder Isshiki, as the beasts swoops down and swipes at her. Ren blocks, staggering back. "This is not a fight we can win, Futaba. But it is one we can retreat from. This is gonna be a chase scene. Follow me." Ren slides down the side of the pyramid suddenly, firing at Wakaba with Eigaon. 

"Whoa, Akira, are you crazy?" The sphinx dives down the side of the pyramid following Ren as Futaba flies down. 

"I've been called that a lot lately. You've played video games. Ever engaged in sequence breaking?"

Futaba nods. "On occasion…"

Ren grimaces. "Yeah, I'm really not supposed to be here yet. I don't even have my full kit, and I just aggroed a high level boss."

Futaba's eyes get wide. "Have I mentioned I love you, Akira?"

Ren smirks, deftly rolling away as the sphinx swipes at her. "Sorry, hon. I will have had a girlfriend soon."

Futaba crosses her arms. "Can't blame a girl for trying. Also this time stuff is getting confusing."

Ren growls as she fires another blast of darkness at Wakaba, quickly approaching the base of the pyramid. "You think you're confused…"

Upon reaching the sands, she tucks and rolls, rushing up the front stairs. "We gotta get inside! That's where we entered the Palace, that's where we can get out!"

Futaba nods, ramming a hole into the side of the Pyramid with Necronomicon, as the Palace begins to crumble. "My Shadow seemed to say this place would come down soon anyway! Might as well speed it up!"

Ren nods and rushes in. "Come on come on…" Futaba dives out of Necronomicon, into Ren's arms as she hits the button on the MetaNav. The pair vanish back into the real world, as the Sphinx barely claws at thin air…

The pair fall back into Futaba's room in the real world, making a loud sound. Ren's eyes widen and she hides in the closet, as Sojiro rushes into the room. "Are you okay, Futaba? I heard a crash!"

Futaba nods and rubs her butt. "Yeah, sorry, Sojiro. I was trying to hang something up, and fell off my computer chair. Pretty dumb, right? I'm fine though, just a bruised ego."

Sojiro shakes his head. "Well, be careful. It's not a big room, you could hurt yourself if you slammed into the wall or something."

Futaba nods and stands up slowly. "Sorry if I woke you up, Sojiro."

Sojiro sighs. "It's okay, kiddo. I needed to go to bed anyway, my back will kill me in the morning if I sleep in the chair again."

Futaba grimaces and stamps her foot. "You've gotta take better care of yourself! Stupid Sojiro." She crosses her arms and turns around.

Sojiro blinks and rubs the back of his neck. "Uh… right. Well, I'll let you go then, Futaba. Let me know if you need anything."

Futaba hmmphs, and he closes the door. After a moment, she hears a closing door from her headphones and nods. "All right, you can come out, Akira."

Ren slides out of the closet slowly. "U-um, is this a bad time to tell you I don't go by Akira?"

Futaba blinks. "Well, what do you go by?"

Ren sweatdrops. "Well, um, I prefer Ren. Ren Amamiya. I'm trans."

Futaba nods. "Right. Okay Ren, you should probably head back. I'll do my part and get that info you wanted."

Ren blinks. "Wait, that's it? No confusion, no-"

Futaba grins. "If the cognitive version of you is a girl, it's not exactly hard for me to put two and two together, Ren. If you really are from the future, you should know me better than that."

Ren sighs. "Well. That was easier than I expected. Last time I was already out when we met…"

Futaba shrugs. "I'm not really too invested in labels myself. Girls, guys, whatever floats your goat." She slumps into bed. "I'm just into 2D people, personally. And the ones… behind my… eyelids…" She falls asleep, exhausted.

Ren nods, taking that as her cue to leave.

She mulls over the day's events.  _ Well, I found my navigator, way earlier than last time… Yusuke will be harder to engineer, but Makoto and Haru go to school with me, I can try to figure something out with them soon… And what about-  _

A smiling girl in glasses with long red hair in a ponytail steps from around the corner as Ren approaches Leblanc. "Good evening Senpai. Do you remember me?"


	8. Dates and Other Confusing Things About Time Travel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sumire has a lot of emotions to unpack regarding her Senpai... And Akechi does not make things easier.

Between the events of Maruki's Lab, and everything else she'd seen in the Metaverse, this was certainly… Unexpected, but not entirely wild. She was a smart girl, any number of things could have gone wrong in the Metaverse, not that she fully understood every aspect of it. Time travel certainly wasn't more out there than stealing the cognitions out of people's minds, was it? But this. This is something she wasn't prepared for. The girl of her dreams, staring at her with a look she hoped to receive for so long. 

"Sumire…" Ren stepped closer, smiling happily, as she took her by the hands. "I'm so glad you remember. I don't know what I would have done if…" As if to finish the sentence, she goes in for a kiss, causing Sumire to blush wildly and pull away suddenly.

"S-senpai! What's gotten into you?" Sumire knew Ren liked girls, hell, she had made that pretty obvious, well... 

Ren steps back herself, stunned. "S-Sumire? Is everything okay? O-oh no, did something happen? Do you not remember everything?"

Sumire balls her fists. It's like the universe is playing a cruel trick on her. "I remember everything fine, Senpai. I remember you turning me down for the girl whose house you just left!"

Ren blinks. Sumire stares her down, livid. She's not sure whether she's more mad that Ren's playing with her emotions like this, or that she's cheating on Futaba. But wait. Neither of those sound like the Senpai she knew and fell for… What's going on?

Ren looks very confused. "I'm not sure what you're talking about… Futaba's great and all, but we're just friends. She doesn't remember anything from the old timeline, anyway. I…" She looks heartbroken suddenly. "D-do you really not remember Valentine's Day, Sumire? I-I thought with the hair…"

It's Sumire's turn to be confused. "What does my hair have to do with anything? This is how I've been wearing my hair since I went to training camp. Coach convinced me it was a healthy way to cope with my sister's loss, while still maintain- Wait, what are you talking about Valentine's Day? I spent Valentine's Day at Haru-chan's house, we had ice cream…"

Suddenly Akechi walks up, nodding. "I see. I had my suspicions after an odd conversation Ren and I had a while back. You two remember the train incident, shortly after you both arrived at Shujin, yes? Both this time, and the previous timeline?"

Sumire jumps, not expecting the always… frightening Akechi behind her suddenly.  _ Was he following me? Or Senpai, maybe?  _ She nods slowly, however. "Y-yeah, Senpai was nearly on that train, she mentioned."

Ren grimaces, remembering the event vividly the first time. "What about it, Akechi?"

Akechi shakes his head. "I didn't do that last time. I suppose it's unlikely Shido would have me take on the exact same targets in the same order in a different timeline, but this confirms it. The three of us come from different, though similar, futures."

The pair of young women suddenly blush, incredibly embarrassed over the previous misconception. Sumire is the first to chime up. "S-so, when Senpai said we dated…"

Akechi nods. "I have no reason to believe that's false, from her perspective, anyway. In fact I remember a different story than either of you… Not that I care about Amamiya's dating habits, mind you. I merely find it an interesting test case. I do remember the train incident, for what it's worth, but that actually wasn't my handiwork last time. The story I gave was an actual belief I had last time. So I assumed then that it was merely attributing a coincidence to my handiwork. A not unreasonable assumption, given the circumstances, to give credit where credit is due…"

Ren looks skeptically at Akechi. "This is the most charitable you have ever been toward me. What are you getting at?"

Akechi glares at Ren. "I was getting there. I think we should go over our stories, find out what else is different between our timelines."

Ren nods, before staggering slightly. "C-can it wait a bit though? I um… Did just come back from Futaba's Palace."

Sumire's eyes widen. "Alone?? Or was Akechi with you as well?"

Akechi shakes his head. "No, I was merely coming to ask Ren a question, I just happened to run into you as well by pure chance. Truly, what a reckless act, Amamiya. Whatever would have happened without our precious leader?" He rolls his eyes.

Ren groans. "Listen, I thought it might be easier to actually recruit Futaba this time around. Knowing a person can enter their own Palace without problems, I assumed we could… bypass many of the issues. She encountered her Persona easily enough, and we would have gotten out without any fight, but then her mother's Cognition- Wait, neither of you were there last time, I should back up-"

Sumire blinks. "N-no! Last time I was there! As I recall, Futaba wasn't in your group when I joined, it was shortly after the Hawaii trip, after you took down, what was his name… Kaneshiro? There was a lull in Phantom Thief Activity for a while, and then we stumbled into… His lab. Where I awoke Cendrillon! And I joined you all immediately, before that whole Medjed mess!"

Ren blinks. "What? That's a vastly different order of events than I remember… Futaba's Palace was before we stumbled into Maruki's lab… Before the Hawaii trip, even. And you didn't join right away, you bailed me out in Sae's Palace… right before The Incident(™)."

Akechi has the presence to look marginally penitent regarding The Incident(™), before continuing. "As I remember from my case files, that's all accurate as well. Which means that Yoshizawa's timeline diverges wildly from our pair of timelines. Fascinating…"

Ren groans as she stumbles again. Sumire rushes to her side, propping her up. "Again… would love to get to the bottom of this, but is this really the time? I'm exhausted. Palaces are… more work than I remember."

Akechi clears his throat, and nods. "As you wish, Amamiya. We will continue this conversation later. In Mementos, as you mentioned. Yoshizawa, I recommend you come with us."

Sumire bites her lip. "Um, about that, Akechi-san… I don't have access to the MetaNav currently. I haven't been able to feel Cendrillon inside me… It's honestly a baffling feeling, being so in tune to a part of myself that's now hidden again…"

Ren nods. "That's how I was when the timeline reset too… But please, we're outside Leblanc…"

Sumire nods and helps her inside. Akechi waves at the pair. "Until tomorrow, then. Yoshizawa, you will of course, assist in the other Phantom Thief activities, yes? When Cendrillon returns to you, of course."

Sumire grimaces. "Don't go acting like a leader all of a sudden, Akechi-san. I still don't like you very much. But of course. Anything to help out Senpai."

Akechi nods. "As you wish." He turns to leave, leaving Sumire and Ren alone. Sumire's thoughts race.  _ S-she has feelings for me… But what about Futaba? It would be irresponsible to take advantage of her, right? But if Futaba doesn't remember anything, if the previous timeline didn't happen, then all that matters is Senpai's feelings, right? _

Ren is inscrutable as always, making Sumire even redder.  _ What on earth is she thinking? I wanna apologize for the misunderstanding, but also… It did feel nice…  _ She blinks suddenly. "O-oh, right, Senpai… You're wearing the male uniform…" She kicks herself, realizing that's insensitive.  _ Back then, she was already… when I met her… She was so cute… I can't believe Kamoshida…  _ She gulps. That's not anything she should mention.

Ren blinks. "Yes? You've seen me in it before, right? When we met, I hadn't come out- O-oh… D-did you know I was trans? I didn't tell you in your timeline, did I?"

Sumire shakes her head. "N-no, I knew that much… Everyone at school did, you were a bit of a pariah, but the principal couldn't really do much about it… At least after Kamoshida left… But I know even before then, you um…"

Ren headtilts, confused. "Are you saying I came out earlier in your timeline?"

She nods, continuing. "Um, yeah, you were, well, rather far along, from what I heard. I um, was honestly a little jealous of your chest, if I'm being honest." She blushes very red, Senpai was such a cute girl in her timeline. She sees the same girl she fell in love with in front of her, but the differences are certainly there…

Ren blinks, suddenly jealous of her own self, from a different time. "In my timeline, I didn't come out until summer break… And by then, I had a doctor's note, Kobayakawa couldn't do anything, lest he risk a media scandal, so I was allowed to start transitioning…"

Sumire nods. "I see… W-well, no matter, you're still beautiful, Senpai!" She shakes her head, red as a beet, stammering. "N-not that that was ever in question! W-wait, don't take that the wrong way either, um…"

Ren smiles and sits down next to Sumire, resting her head on her shoulder. "I understand what you mean, Sumire… You're still beautiful too. And I appreciate this do over to get to know the real you even better this time around…"

Sumire is struck silent, unable to process what's happening. "...I thought you turned me down because I wasn't Kasumi…"

Ren blinks and looks at her, concerned. "Even if I had turned you down in my timeline, it wouldn't be for anything like that. You're Sumire. I fell in love with you because of what makes you Sumire, not because what you were trying to mimic from Kasumi… I worked so hard to help you with those self-esteem issues… But I suppose I wasn't there for you like that in your timeline…"

Sumire looks away. "D-don't worry Senpai, I got better anyway… You were there enough for me! J-just… not like I hoped… It's my fault for getting my hopes up. Futaba's a great girl… And she liked girls too, it makes sense you would have gone for her. I was scared, I didn't come out to anyone, I was terrified I would have lost my place in Shujin… Do you remember how Kobayakawa threatened to expel Takamaki-senpai and Suzui-senpai?"

Ren looks horrified. "You mean they were planning on expelling a girl who attempted suicide due to a teacher's actions, and her girlfriend, over that? That would have been a dozen lawsuits at least!"

Sumire blinks. "S-Suzui-Senpai tried to commit suicide in your timeline? Or are you talking about Ann-Senpai?" 

Ren's eyes widen. "O-oh good, Shiho didn't… That means there's hope." She stands, before falling back down… into Sumire's lap. The pair blush violently red, before Ren scoots over. "Wait. Shiho didn't jump. Why not?"

Sumire headtilts. "Why would she? She joined you and Ann-Senpai to take down Kamoshida, didn't she?"

Ren smiles. "Ah. Fascinating. So she has potential too, then. No, in my timeline… Well… We didn't realize that in time. We need Shiho-san on our side, if we're going to…"

Sumire nods. "We can figure that out later. Right now, you need sleep."

Ren struggles to stand again, as Sumire helps her up to her room. "Sleep. If Morgana won't tell you to go to bed, I will."

Ren chuckles slightly at that. "At least that's one thing we remember in common… Damn cat always was persistent… Wait, that reminds me, where is he?"

Sumire walks home, a little concerned.  _ Everything about this is… exceedingly strange. Senpai is certainly more talkative than I remember her, too. And given the… events preceding our arrival at Shujin are different, what possibly could be the cause of our timelines diverging? I'm not as smart as Makoto-senpai or Futaba-senpai… Or even Akechi-san, for that matter. Ugh, why can't I figure this out? This would be so much easier if the other Phantoms also remembered… But then again, would they all have their own timelines they come from? What happens if all of them remember a timeline where they dated Senpai? _ She stops for a minute to consider this possibility.  _ On second thought, perhaps it's for the best they're only seeing this timeline. And on that note… What do I do about Senpai? I do… I do love her. But I can't… I can't go through that again. I-I'll just tell her I need some space! I need to figure out all of this time nonsense, and then we can take it from there! That makes sense, right? Right? _

__ _ Ugh… I wish I could talk to someone else about this. Someone not involved. But the only one who remembers me that's not Senpai is… Akechi. And that's not an attractive option either. Wait.  _ She stops suddenly.  _ I could talk to Dr. Maruki. We need to figure out if he's related in this anyway, right? I've still been going to see him in this timeline, I just managed to not be affected by the Actualization thing, cause I'm from a different time, right?  _

__ As she gets home, her father, Shinichi Yoshizawa, looks a little concerned. "There you are, Sumire. I tried calling you a dozen times."

Sumire blinks and checks her phone. Sure enough, she's been lost in her thoughts long enough to miss a ton of messages and calls. "S-sorry, Father… It's been a… rough day. I was helping a friend out, she was dealing with um, a medical issue, I was trying to make sure she was getting the rest she needed."

Her father nods and puts a hand on her shoulder. "I'm glad you're making friends at this new school, but you shouldn't worry us like that. Especially, well... "

Sumire nods and looks away.  _ There's a lot of reasons they worry about me. They're not trying to guilt trip me. They care about me, not just in relation to Kasumi. _ She repeats these refrains in her head for a bit as her father goes on for a bit, before shaking herself out of her head to hear Shinichi repeating her name. 

"S-sorry Father, what was that?"

Shinichi sighs and gestures for Sumire to sit down. "Sweetie, you've been acting odd the last few days. Well, I suppose more odd than normal, to be blunt."

Sumire winces a bit internally at that, but nods. "I-I'm sorry, I'm just… Between Kasumi, and the new school, and… D-do you think we can schedule another visit with Dr. Maruki soon? I have some things to talk to him about."

Her father nods. "Of course. I will give him a call first thing in the morning and schedule an appointment at his earliest convenience. But are you okay? Has anything else happened? At school or anything?"

Sumire thinks for a bit. There's certainly a lot of things that have happened at the school, but not really anything she can realistically report. She doesn't really know anyone in this timeline, so she can't really talk about the rumors regarding Kamoshida. Especially since it was apparently worse in Senpai's timeline… "It's just been difficult adjusting to the new environment… Especially without…"

Shinichi sighs again. "Right… You two were inseparable after all. Just remember dear, your mother and I love you very much. If you ever need to talk…"

Sumire nods. "Yes. Of course, Father. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some homework to finish before bed…"

He nods and pats Sumire's shoulder as she stands to leave. "It's going to be okay, sweetheart. We're all figuring out how to live in this new world, but we'll make it through together."

Sumire sighs. "I hope you're right, Father…"  _ He doesn't realize the irony in his words either…  _ She heads into her room and quietly begins working on homework she's already completed before.  _ Well at least my studies should be easier this go around… Perhaps I can focus on making my Gymnastics performance improve, with all the help from Coach… _

__ Before long, she throws herself into bed, more exhausted than any trip into the Metaverse or Gymnastics meet has ever left her, confused, drained, and thoroughly shaken. 


	9. A Matter of Convenience

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akechi takes care of a few... irritating factors. And deals with several more.

In Akechi's apartment, a black and white cat pokes his head through the window. "Well! Nice place you have here! Fancier than Lady Ren's!"

A yowling can be heard from the street as Akechi starts to drag the poor cat out the front door. "GO BOTHER SOMEONE ELSE, YOU FILTHY-" He blinks as he realizes this miiiiiight reflect poorly on his public image. As he begins to open the door, he stops. "...Ahem. My apologies, I might have gotten a bit carried away there. Let's chalk it up to… being startled." 

Morgana scowls at Akechi and stands on his desk. "After all the trouble I went to in order to find you, too. I can't believe this. I'd rather deal with that ruffian Ryuji. And here I was thinking I would try to offer my aid to the leader of these Phantom Thieves."

Akechi furrows his brow. "And so you came to me?"

Morgana nods. "Of course, maybe Lady Ren calls the shots, but it's clear that you're the strongest by a long shot. And as such, clearly you need my help to reestablish your cred as leader!"

Akechi rolls his eyes. "I neither asked for you help, nor do I need it, cat."

Morgana hisses at Akechi. "I. Am not. A cat." He turns and hmmphs. "And you clearly do need it. No one likes you, after all. I can help with that. Among other things."

Akechi shakes his head. "No one needs to like me. I'm not… I'm not her. I don't need to be her. She can be the face, she's better at it anyway. I just show up and keep people from getting killed by being idiots. Least I can do."

Morgana pats the bed. "You uh, clearly have some problems. Wanna talk about them?"

Akechi blinks. "Being condescended to by a cat. What else does the universe want to throw at me to make my life worse?"

"You know what? Gonna let that go. Seriously. You've got a real stick up your butt, Akechi. What's your problem?"

Akechi growls. "My problem is that I work best alone, but everyone wants to keep trying to make me part of the fucking-"

Morgana cuts him off. "That's a lie, and you know it. I've seen your power. If you really wanted to strike out on your own, I doubt there's anything any of us can do about it. I'm sure Lady Ren would miss you, though for the life of me, I don't see why, but we couldn't really stop you."

Akechi considers this for a moment. "It's not worth the effort. I do genuinely hate her, you know. I hate all of them. And you, for that matter. But this… plan of hers has worked before. Better than the one I came up with."

Morgana rolls his eyes. "The sentiment is about equal here, buddy. But what do you mean? What are you two scheming?"

Akechi considers his words very carefully. "The world is made up of the powerful and the weak. Ren and I both seek to… eliminate the powerful ones who would abuse the weak. Though our methods and ideals have… come into conflict in the past."

Morgana nods. "If I had to guess, she's not into the whole 'killing people' thing you seem to have a penchant for."

Akechi blinks. "That's an accurate assessment, though, I am a little amused that you read me so quickly."

Morgana shakes his head. "When you're as attuned to the Metaverse as I am, you get a good reading on people. You simply radiate an unhinged… malice. One I've only seen in Shadows. I'm honestly a little frightened of you, in a way I can't explain. But Lady Ren seems to trust you-"

Now Akechi cuts Morgana off. "She trusts me about as far as she can throw me. I'm just more useful to her in front of her than behind her back. It's not fair, she's the criminal, she's the one who should be watched like a hawk, I'm the Upstanding Detective! I'm the good guy! That's what I've spent so long cultivating, and in minutes of meeting her-" He shakes his head. "Ah, those days are past. I'm done with the facade. Time to lay my cards on the table. You know why Ren appears to trust me?"

Morgana perches on the window. "Enlighten me, Mister Detective."

Akechi sits in the chair at the desk and leans back. "I can't do worse to her than I already have. I've actively tried to kill her on three occasions already. Do you know why she's on probation?" Morgana shakes his head. "She punched my father. Mind you, the bastard had it coming. Harassing some woman, much like he did my mother. I'm sure whatever happened to her, it's not his problem." He contemplates things for a minute. "I'm from the future, Morgana. So's Ren. And at least one more of the Phantom Thieves, that you have yet to meet."

Morgana nods. "That makes sense. You two mentioned having a group prior, but aside from a powerful signature, which I… imagine was yours, I haven't noticed any other Persona users in Tokyo in months."

Akechi nods. "Do you have any idea of any phenomenon related to the Metaverse that might enable something like time travel?"

Morgana shakes his head. "I know a lot, but I'm not all knowing. My boss could probably tell you, though." He blinks, furrowing his brow. "My… boss."

Akechi headtilts. "Oh? And who's your boss, cat?"

Morgana looks down, focused. "I'm… trying to remember… I remember a blue room… Argh, it's so frustrating! It's all lost!"

Akechi's head perks up and he leans forward. "Blue room? Would it happen to involve a man with a long nose?"

Morgana blinks. "Yes… Yes that sounds familiar." He shakes his head again. "Sorry, I can't think of any more specifics. But perhaps you could ask him, if you seem to know who I'm talking about. I don't… I don't know how to get there anymore. But I imagine it's at the depths of Mementos…"

Akechi nods. "I see."  _ Ren told me to beware of Igor. I best not ask him about this yet, not til I see what the deal is in Mementos tomorrow.  _ "Tell you what… I think I will take you up on that deal. I'll help you figure out what's up with Mementos and the man with the long nose. In exchange…" He sighs. "I'll try to learn from you what being a team player means. I'm going to have to, apparently. Ren already knows about me, so I can't just… cut out the middleman and finish my plans the way I wanted to. Might as well try doing this the hard way."

Morgana narrows his eyes. "You understand if you attempt to hurt Lady Ren, I am contractually obligated to kill you yes?"

Akechi rolls his eyes. "You are contractually obligated to throw your life away to attempt to, yes."

"Listen, buddy, you're strong, but don't underestimate Zorro."

Akechi growls. "And what? You're gonna blow on me? Poke me with your toothpick you call a sword? Down boy, I have no interest in hurting that woman anymore. At least not til she's prepared to fight me one on one again. We still have a score to settle after all."

Morgana sighs. "I'll take it for now. But I'm also going to be watching you. Which means you're stuck with me. And that means we have a deal."  _ I am  _ **_thou,_ ** _ thou art I… Thou hast acquired a  _ **_new_ ** _ vow. It shall  _ **_become_ ** _ the wings of rebellion that  _ **_breaketh_ ** _ thy chains of captivity. With the  _ **_birth_ ** _ of the Magician Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall  _ **_lead_ ** _ to freedom and new power…  _

Akechi groans. "You're not going to tell me to go to bed every five seconds like you did her, are you?"

Morgana headtilts. "What are you- Right, future. You're a smart kid. I trust you can set your own sleep habits. Though, I AM going to sleep now. Good night, Akechi."

Akechi sighs. "Good night, cat."

That night… Akechi once again wakes up in the Velvet Room. "So, Trickster, you awaken again. This time, you've achieved a few bonds… Congratulations, this is going smoother than I could have anticipated. What's your secret?" Igor grins at Akechi, gesturing him forward.

Akechi approaches hesitantly, choosing to respond carefully. "I have… made a lot of mistakes. And also done some truly terrible things in my past. It is important to move past those, and that takes support?" He mutters out an explanation he hopes sounds plausible, not that he buys any of this garbage. 

The angry young girl nods. "Well done Inmate, you're learning. But don't go getting a big head just yet! You've still got a long road to walk toward your rehabilitation! Isn't that right, Justine?"

The quieter one, he supposes is Justine nods in turn. "Quite right, Caroline. This is merely the first step in your journey, which we seek to assist in."

Akechi nods. "Now… You mentioned more power…"

Caroline glares at him and slams the bar with her electric baton, but Akechi refuses to react. "Patience, Inmate! The Master will give you what he deems necessary, WHEN he deems it necessary!"

Igor chuckles, a low rumble. "Now, now, Caroline, he has a point. I did make a contract, it's only fair to uphold my end of the bargain. Up until now, Trickster, you've only been able to summon Robin Hood and Loki, yes?"

Akechi nods.

Igor grins. "Would you like to be able to summon others?"

Akechi smirks. "Of course, having access to other powers can only be a net positive, after all."

The long-nosed man waves the girls over. "In that case… Bring out the tools."

The girls nod at each other and slide over… a massive pair of guillotines. Akechi, for once, looks mildly taken aback. "Tools, you say… For execution?"

Igor nods. "Yes. Through the purging of the soul, new masks can be formed. Bring over the Trickster's Personas."

Caroline and Justine smile and nod, reaching up to Akechi's chest, and pulling two blue spheres of light, which coalesce at the other end of the Velvet Room as Robin Hood and Loki. "W-wait, what are you planning on-"

Suddenly, Akechi hears a pair of voices in his head.  _ AH! MASTER GORO! FRET NOT, I! ROBIN HOOD WILL ALWAYS BE A PART OF YOU! LET US EKE OUT YOUR JUSTICE TOGETHER, EVEN IF WE MUST DO SO IN A DIFFERENT GUISE. PERHAPS THIS TIME, A KINDER GUISE.  _

__ _ Ah, shove it, Robin Hood. Listen, pal. Hoody Boy over there is always gonna be with you, that means I'm gonna be here too. Can't let him try to make you boring after all. Ole' Loki, weaver of lies, will always be right here, ready to keep on the windy path of deception you'll need to make it through this bullshit you've landed in. Keep your head on straight, don't trust no one, much less me. And I think you'll make it out all right. _

__ The pair of Personas get loaded into the guillotines, as Caroline and Justine look at each other and nod. They pull the cord holding up the axe blades, letting them fall, destroying the squirming Personas. Akechi looks… viscerally uncomfortable. There's something… unsettling about the difference between the abstraction in killing Shadows, and seeing an integral part of himself be decapitated.  _ Did Ren see this? What on earth did she… _

Igor grins at Akechi as a new mask forms, floating toward him. The voice of Hereward speaks to him.  _ Master Akechi. I look forward to serving with you. I hope you use me to go forward and mask your hatred. It will carry you further than blind rage. Truth and Lies are two sides of the same coin. Stick with me, and we will learn together how to game the system. _

__ "So? How do you feel, Trickster?"

Akechi looks sick. "I feel… freer than I did, to be honest. But now I feel like my insides also want to be free…" 

Igor smiles at him. "Oh? I thought you had no problems with the grisly… If you're not willing to pay the price for power, perhaps I had you pegged wrong. Perhaps I should drag in your friend Ren. She seems the type to… do what needs to be done."

Akechi's eyes widen. He's not sure why that in particular gets under his skin but he growls. "I didn't say no, did I, Igor? I'm no stranger to blood on my hands. Just was not… Prepared for the spectacle, that's all."  _ And I thought I was crazy. What kind of madman takes a double execution and makes jokes about it? Threatens to make someone else pull the trigger? I see what Ren meant now. But until I can do something about this… _

__ Caroline slams the bars. "Inmate! Show some respect! I'm about tired of your mouth!"

Akechi rolls his eyes. "You seem tired in general, isn't it past your bedtime, little girl?"

"MEGIDO-" Igor clears his throat, and Caroline growls. "Whatever, you're not worth it anyway, inmate. Go home. We're done with you for now."

The following day, Akechi wakes up late. "Ugh, not enough time to look over my case files before my meeting.." He grabs his briefcase and gets ready to leave, before Morgana tries to follow him. "I'm sorry, where do you think you're going?"

Morgana raises an eyebrow. "I'm following you?"

Akechi shakes his head. "I'm not taking you on the subway, and if you haven't noticed, I've not got any way of hiding you. I'm not Ren, I don't have a purse to keep you in. Besides, I have a meeting today, and I don't need you interfering."

Morgana growls, but sits back down. "As you wish. But I've got my eyes on you."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

As he walks out, he gives Shido a call. "You've arranged for all the paperwork, yes? Kobayakawa needs a set of eyes on him, I don't trust him at all. Kamoshida, from the rumors I hear, is getting to the point where there will be a media circus if he's not restrained, and I've confirmed myself through… My methods." A response from the other end prompts a nod from Akechi. "Yes, I've made the acquaintance of a few students from Shujin, just to help keep tabs, but I do feel this is a wise move for both of us. After all, it will make things easier when… Something happens to the Principal, if there's already a detective on standby ready to help."

He strolls up to the doors of Shujin Academy, straightening his new black blazer, and smiles as he walks in. Immediately the whispers start. "Akechi-kun's going to be going to OUR school???" "Do you think it has to do with the new kid?" "What, like he's his parole officer or something?"

Akechi grins, revelling in the chaos. He walks up to Principal Kobayakawa's office and knocks. "Pardon me, sir, I do apologize for the short notice. But I'm sure my sponsor has already explained the situation."

Kobayakawa clears his throat, looking thoroughly uncomfortable in Akechi's presence. "Yes! Akechi-san, all of the paperwork has been rushed through, as he requested!"

"Excellent~ I see you understand the price of failure, then. That's why he places such confidence in you, after all."

Kobayakawa nods. The mass of a monster, barely man shaped, cowers in his desk almost. While he's not sure WHY Shido-sama places so much emphasis on this… child, he's under strict orders to treat any directive from Akechi as an order from Shido-sama himself. Akechi will have fun tormenting this man.

As he leaves the room, Akechi looks for his new class. He finds his homeroom, lead by Mr. Ushimaru, a stern, older gentleman, who looks so much like he wishes he could return to the days of beating snot-nosed brats who mouth off to him, but restrains himself with deadly chalk assaults instead. Ryuji's eyes get wide as he realizes who's entering. "No way, what the eff are you doin' here, Akechi?"

Ushimaru barks at Ryuji. "Language, Mister Sakamoto! Unless you want to serve detention with Kamoshida-Sensei, you best apologize to Akechi-san, here."

Ryuji rolls his eyes. "Sorry, Akechi."

Akechi smiles at the teacher and steps forward. "No worries, Sakamoto is an acquaintance of mine, sir. I'm sure he was merely excited. It was a surprise that I was transferring here, after all."

The class immediately is a whir of excitement. Ushimaru barks out another warning to the class. "Quiet! Now, I'm sure as you're all aware, Akechi-san likely needs no introduction for most of you, but still, it's important to do things the proper way. Introduce yourself, Akechi-san."

He nods. "As most of you know, my name is Goro Akechi, and I'm a consulting detective for the Tokyo Police Department. But first and foremost, I am still a student, and due to circumstances I am not at liberty to divulge at the moment, my sponsor thought it prudent to transfer me to this prestigious academy. I hope to make many friends here~" Akechi bows and takes the open seat next to Ryuji, who leans over.

"What's your game, Akechi…"

Akechi smiles at Ryuji. "No game. Can a guy not want to see his friends more often?"

"What friends?" He glares at the detective, as Ushimaru gives him a glare in return, as he winds up a shot. Ryuji's quick, but not that quick, and gets a piece of chalk square in the middle of the forehead, causing him to wince.

"Sakamoto! No distracting Akechi-san! Now pay attention!" The rest of class goes as dull as anyone could expect… At least til the Group Chat explodes with messages…

Ryuji:  _ Guys, what the eff? Akechi's in my CLASS. _

__ Ann:  _ Oh yeah, I heard about that! How's that going? _

__ Akechi:  _ I am here too, you both know. _

__ Ren:  _ Unfortunately. _

__ Ryuji:  _ Oooh, gottem! _

__ After school, the usual trio reconvenes on the roof, followed now, by Akechi. Ryuji grins. "Well, on one hand, that makes these meetings easier. Welcome to the club proper, I suppose, Akechi!"

Ren nods. "What's more, I have another surprise. We might have another person joining us soon. A member of… my old crew, you may know her, Yoshizawa-san."

Ryuji blinks. "Whoa, she just joined my class too! Is your entire old crew gonna end up coming here? ...Did you plan this? Was the whole juvie thing a cover to take down Kamoshida?!?"

Ren thinks for a moment. "While I wish I could claim I was that forward thinking, no, I truly am on probation, and this truly is the only place I could go to school. Yoshizawa-san was a coincidence, and Akechi… is a surprise."

Akechi nods. "I suppose you all appreciate a reprieve from my true self, though, being in public as we are."

Ann grumbles. "Honestly, I liked the other you more. This one seems like kind of a creep."

Akechi shrugs. "Eh, can't win them all."

Ryuji raises an eyebrow. "You seem… different."

Akechi grins. "Oh do I, Sakamoto?"

Ren steps forward. "Anyway, there's something I wanted to talk about. Akechi and I have an important thing we need to accomplish today. It has nothing to do with Kamoshida, unfortunately, and we don't really feel comfortable bringing you along, because it might get dangerous. But it's important we be candid with our other teammates. We're going into the Metaverse to get answers about some… important questions we have. I don't want to tell you exactly what until I know a little more, because it might be nothing, and I rather you not worry unnecessarily, but I promise, starting tomorrow, I guarantee we're going straight for Kamoshida. That leads me to my next point. Akechi, do you have my cat?"

Akechi groans. "Unfortunately. He followed me home last night. You can have the little furball for all I care, but he insists."

Ren nods. "Well, he's his own person, if he insists, there's not much I can do about it. Now for my actual next point. I want you two…" He looks at Ann and Ryuji. "To take Morgana and Yoshizawa-san into the Palace. She's had the same issue as me, where her Persona is… temporarily indisposed. I trust you three to take care of her. I would escort her myself, but time is of the essence, and she's very capable, once she awakens again."

Ann nods. "I just… hope she's more stable than Akechi. No offense."

Akechi grimaces. "You know, just because you say no offense, does not mean offense wasn't taken. I mean, it wasn't in this case. But for future reference."

Ann rolls her eyes. "Anyway, yeah, sounds like a cakewalk. No problem for the Phantom Thieves!"

Ren smiles. "What's more, I actually have a few more people… I'm keeping my eye on for our team. I've already recruited one more person. A hacker in my neighborhood. She's a bit… of a recluse, but she's the best hacker in Japan, easy. She's currently… resting. Her awakening was a bit… traumatic, more so than usual."

Ryuji stammers. "Wait, you went Palace diving without us???"

Ren sweatdrops. "Honestly, it was a spur of the moment deal. I wasn't planning on it, and I could sense it would be too much for you guys at the moment anyway. Akechi was nearby in case of danger, though." Not… technically a lie, but she didn't know that at the time, to be sure. 

Akechi nods. "I have seen her at work. She's phenomenal, and her mother's research on Cognitive Psience is second to none, so she knows her stuff too. As loathe as I am to compliment little gremlin."

Ren glares daggers at Akechi. "Play nice." She puts a hand on Ann's shoulder. "Also, I'm going to ask an odd favor from you, Ann-chan. I want you to take your friend Shiho, and take her out of town for the weekend, can you do that? I can arrange for money, if you need it."

Ann looks confused. "N-no, I've got money, Ren-chan. I'm a little confused about why this all of a sudden? Have you even met Shiho-chan?"

Ren thinks for a moment. "In passing. Call it Thieves' Intuition, but I have a bad feeling something bad's about to happen to her if she doesn't get out of her head for a bit. I think you can imagine where I'm going with this…"

Ann blinks. "You don't think… Oh, I'll tear his testicles out through his nose if he even thinks of touching Shiho!"

Ren sighs. "Anyway, I just… I want her to be okay, and she needs to know it's going to get better soon…"

Ann nods. "You got it, Ren-chan. Haven't taken her to a movie since middle school…" She blinks, realizing what she just implied. "W-wait, I mean-"

Ryuji smiles and leans back. "We already know Ren-chan likes girls. You don't have to make a scene, if you like Suzui-san, you like Suzui-san."

Ren nods. "I wasn't trying to entrap you or anything, Ann-chan, but I knew she's important to you… I just…" She sighs. "I'm not sure if it's through the Metaverse, or what, but I get sudden flashes of the future. Things that I can try to avoid. And Shiho… She showed up last night in one of them. And… it wasn't pretty. I'll spare you the details, because I think we can avoid it." 

Akechi clears his throat. "All right, if we're done with the logistics, I believe it's time for our meeting, Amamiya."

Ren sighs. "Indeed it is. We'll see you all bright and early in the morning."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So uh, yeah, two chapters in one night! That makes 4 this week? I've just really had a ton of ideas lately. I probably need to pace myself better, but ^^; Do you guys think it's better to have these just come out when I'm done with them? Or do you think I should be patient and space them out more? I could actually try to develop a backlog and a schedule... Likewise, when I have these chapters come out back to back, would you prefer I actually just do a single long chapter? It does break the established flow of having each chapter be from one person's perspective, so I can see pros and cons to both. As always, looking for feedback!


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